Limbo, Earth, Ryloth
by Ghost rider 1-3
Summary: The story of a young student joining Cham Syndulla's rebel cell after witnessing the horror of slavery. Before SWR season 1.(The genre should be action adventure but sadly there is no action genre available.)
1. Chapter 1:

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels or any of its characters.

'Newbie'

Day 1-07:01:11

Syndulla House, Tann province

Unlike most other days of my life, I know very well where I am, and what I'm doing. I have to report to Cham once I'm up. But still, I kept on wondering, if running away from the majority for a noble cause was such a good idea.

I wasn't even planning to join the Movement. When I first had the idea of leaving Earth, I was planning to be a freelance rebel, fighting wherever I go to free the galaxy the best I can. But things were far from I expected, and now I'm waiting to be tested by Cham Syndulla himself and the harsh environments of Ryloth.

I was supposed to be a student, learning from(and being brainwashed by) the Empire and find a decent job and probably have my own servant(aka slave, which is NOT something I'll ever be proud of). But I had to convince myself to stop thinking about it, for I've now got better problems to worry about.

I got up from my rugged mattress on the ground and grabbed my DC-15S leaning against the wall. It wasn't the usual type of blaster seen by the armed forces of the Republic. Instead of having a standard-issued look, it was modded and filled with attachments on it, which was probably the reason I was less of a poor shot.

I reached my backpack with my other arm, swung it onto my back and clipped the straps together, even though half the galaxy taught me that carrying extra weight isn't a good idea.I never really believed in that, and that was thanks to the misery I've encountered before. To me, the contents of my backpack is my lifeline, especially in dry, smoking hot environments like Ryloth.

Before I knew it, I was at the door of Cham's office. It wasn't even really an office. It's more like his own private room. With his name written in twi'leki on the side of the door.

I hit the button next to the door, and it hissed open. Cham was sitting there at his working table, staring at the numerous documents and news report of the Empire and (probably)his contacts within the system.

"Good to see you soldier. We got an operation today. Hope you can keep up. Get yourself ready and go find the rest outside." He said. I didn't pay much attention to his words. I was more worried about taking racism from the veterans head on. I've heard my share of stories of horrid partners and creepy crew mates during my days as a student from my homeworld, and I knew it would most likely be the case here.

But being the rational person I am, I know that slavery is a far worse problem compared to what I'm looking at. I used to read news and reports about the slavery on Ryloth before the Empire banned them, and even those who stood against the system. I admire those people, some say they were foolish, naive, or even arrogant. "...think they could take on half the Galaxy..." That's what my parents used to say to me a lot. At some point they even urged me to find one for myself to make my life 'better'.

But from what I see, the only way to make my life better is to make theirs better. It's what I've signed up for.

I pulled up my balaclava as I walked out the front door towards the Y-wing(or what's left of it), where the other veterans gathered. A few of them glanced at me as I headed towards them, as if I was a criminal or something.

"Over here, Terran!" I heard one of them call. It was Gobi Glie. He's served under Cham's command for almost thirty years. Cham told me he knows a lot, but I didn't expect him to know where exactly I'm from. I joined the vets, and we gathered around a hologram showing what seems to be an imperial outpost. "Same as usual my friends. A hit and run op on this outpost. The people there receive their everyday supplies at 0900, they don't come late, they don't come early."

"By supplies he means food, weapons, ammo, that kind of thing. Just so you know." One of the twi'leks whispered to me. "No stealing critical info?" I asked back. "Watch your mouth, rookie. We already made this mission easier for you." Another twi'lek snapped.

That's an insult. I thought. But I couldn't really say anything, since they use looks to determine one's abilities, and I'm pretty sure I'm far too young to look like I've fought off a whole battalion of stormtroopers just to get myself here.

"We'll go in by blurggs and take the outpost before 0800. Then we'll ambush the supply convoy when they get there and take their ride. Any questions?" The rest looked at each other without making a sound. "Don't worry rookie, we'll be back by noon." Added Gobi. I heard the other twi'leks giggle under their breath, which almost made me laugh as well, almost.

"I'm not." I scoffed in response.

I tried to clear my mind before I hopped onto Groza's back. I've screwed up things for not having a clear mind for more than once, and letting that happen in a gunfight is not something I have in mind. A few minutes later the twi'leks were up and running as well, and we all sprinted off into the unknown, to kick some imperial ass.

Half an hour later...

As we made our approach on the outpost, I saw an energy bolt hurtle just past our heads. It burst into a ball of energy upon impact, putting out the lights of the outpost. "What the hell was that?" I shouted.

"It's an EMP burst. Did we not tell you about that?." Replied the twi'lek next to me. Groza launched itself into one of the stormtroopers. I quickly took this opportunity and jumped off it. The twi'lek who taunted me(his name is Nordon, I think)followed. My gunfight instincts kicked in as I shot two stormtroopers just five yards away from me. The fight intensified as I ducked behind a disabled speeder. I noticed that my sense of existence was a lot lower than any of my teammates. Nobody even noticed that I was peeking out from the speeder.

I pointed my blaster at the top of the complex, towards several stormtroopers holed up there. I unleashed a series of two to three round bursts into them. I got two of them, the surviving ducked out of sight. I looked below, still, none of the stormtroopers noticed me at all.

I hooked my blaster on the side of my vest and pulled out my sidearm, a DC17 pistol. "I have 50 shots." I told myself. "Make it count."

I jumped over the speeder, and sprinted towards the horde of stormtroopers. I scanned them quickly, there were 6 of them out there. I started off by gunning down the one on the far right, and simultaneously struck another two on the head, knocking them out of consciousness. One shifted his attention to me, which resulted in a vibroblade in his throat. At last I launched a sidekick into one of the remaining stormtroopers. He shouted and collided into the other stormtrooper, and everything went quiet.

The two stormtroopers on the over watch fired at me. I grabbed the body of one of my victims and managed to block most of the shots. As I as about to fall, one of the stormtroopers was suddenly hit by a blue bolt that came out of nowhere, and so did the other after he was distracted. It must be a sniper. I thought. But who the heck is this guy? No one ever bothered to mention him.

"Not bad for your first day." Commented Gobi. "Let's get inside before they can contact anyone." Nordon took out a detonator from his pocket and planted it on the blast doors of the complex. The rest of us leaned against the wall on either side of the doors, fingers poised on the trigger.

"Fire in the hole." Whispered Nordon as the timer of the detonator hit zero. All the rhydonium inside it was unleashed on the lock. Nordon and I pulled the door open, and the rest rushed inside, overwhelming the stormtroopers and officers inside.

There was a stairwell at the end of the hallway we breached into. The twi'leks stacked up. "Hey newbie, take point. You're good at close quarters, right?" Asked Goll. He was one of the less experienced members in the Movement, which makes him a lot less unfriendly too. "I can manage." I replied to him as I rushed up the stairs. I slammed my blaster into the officer at the top of the stairwell and unloaded a volley of laser bolts into the rest of the imps, forcing them to duck wherever they can.

I scored a lucky shot on one of the stormtroopers. The twi'leks moved up the stairs one after another, picking off everyone else in the room. "All clear. Crost, Krev, Nordon. Take position on the over watch. Goll, you follow me to the armoury on the ground floor, I'll tell you what to do." Ordered Gobi. "Good thing we brought you here kid. Get inside one of those outfits and wait for them to come. You know what to do."

"Yes sir." I replied. As I crouched and pulled off the stormtrooper armour piece by piece, I heard Gobi speaking on his comlink. "The outpost is secure, general. We're waiting for the transport, over." He paused for a while. As I put on the last piece of the armour, I heard him speaking again. "Thanks for the assist, Numa. Keep an eye out and tell us when you see the transport."

"Who's Numa?" I asked, even though I already knew she was no different from the vets who are constantly trying to mess with me. "A newbie in the movement, just like you." Nordon replied and poked my head with his finger.

"Noted." I sighed as I walked out the front door in my stormtrooper armour. My orders were to wait outside until the convoy reached the outpost. Another long thirty minutes for me.


	2. Chapter 2:

'Knowing is Half The Battle'

Day 1-08:57:44

Imperial outpost, Jixuan Desert

Goll has taken the blurrgs back to the Syndulla house to keep them from blowing out cover, while the rest were hiding around the base to ambush the transport. I got the worst part out of all, I had to disguise myself as a stormtrooper to help them time the right moment to pounce, but not before I extracted a mountain load of information from the server in the outpost. It wasn't much, but old habits die hard for me.

The code for the ambush is "He's here.". Even though with almost every probability accounted for, I still wasn't on board with this idea. But what can I do? I'm the only one in the team that could fit inside a stormtrooper armour properly.

Just keep your cool. Soldier.

"Heads up. Transport is inbound, 30 seconds out." Said Numa. I looked around and noticed a dot on my right. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was the transport we're here for. An RTT, as I expected. Another two speeders emerged at the side of it, with a scout trooper on either one of them. My eyes glued at the RTT as it stopped in front of me. Even if they already know about our attack, I'll be ready to take them.

The two scout troopers stepped off, along with an officer from the RTT. "You don't usually come out alone, soldier." The officer pointed. Normally I would've panicked when questioned like this, and Gobi knew that well. So while the other twi'leks were setting up for the ambush at the front door and the over watch, he gave me specific instructions on what to say.

"I know sir. Good to see you too. I'm afraid we have a technical problem inside that would need your attention, sir. The power's..." I replied, but I was interrupted before I could finish my sentence. "...cut? Certainly you have enough men to handle that. Besides, it's daytime right now. So no pressure soldier." "I guess you're right." I said as we approached the front door.

"He's here." I heard the shatter of glass almost instantly, followed by a grunt from the other side of the front door. The ITT's windscreen was shot into pieces and Gobi pushed open the door with all his might. I quickly turned around and knocked out the officer before he could react, while Nordon, who stayed with Gobi, gunned down one of the scout troopers. The other trooper drew his pistol, but was shot by Crost(I think) before he could pull the trigger.

All of it happened in less than five seconds. Objective complete. No casualties on our side. It seems like things couldn't get any better. The twi'leks and I pooled into the transport with some other supplies found inside the base. "You know how to drive this thing, kid?" Asked Gobi.

I shook my head, as the only thing I really know how to drive is a motorcycle from my home planet. "Excellent! Here's a chance for you to practice then. Nordon, take the gun. Let the kid drive." The rest nodded with evil grins on their face. I was about to protest, but Gobi made a point: you got to learn what you don't know.

I sighed and plopped onto the driver seat, having almost no idea on what to do. I pushed the first handle I saw, and it turns out it wasn't even a handle. It was the joystick for steering and accelerating. Alright. Just like playing video games. I thought.

I finally managed to get the hang of it. And by 10:00 we're back at Syndulla House, with a full load of supplies and munitions. "Just leave it here. Come on." Said Gobi. "Nice. I really need to stretch my legs after all that driving." I replied in relief. I picked up my DC15 and got outside the ITT with the rest of the twi'leks. Supriisingly, I wasn't even tired, at all. I guess the training I made up for myself for running away from the Empire has paid off.

Cham was already waiting for us, along with some other twi'leks that weren't in the job. "Nice job people. We'll last well for another three weeks with all this support. And kid, I need to have a word with you." The rest turned their attention on me, which was getting creepy as it always was. "Oh don't worry, you're not in trouble." He continued.

The rest chuckled in response. I couldn't help but curse under my breath. I followed him to his room, trying not to think of what he'll say. Or at least I thought I was going to his room. He brought me to the war room, where battle plans and various pictures were stapled on one side on the wall, and carvings of twi'leki on the other side. "This is what we do all the time, steal from the Empire and use it to free the people. That picture consists of every member of this movement, except those who need to stay in the shadows, like the sniper who helped you out this morning."

He shifted to the right wall and pointed at the twi'leki carvings on it. "Those are the names of all the members of our crew. After you make it through the trial, you may carve your name on it as well."

I noticed that a few of the names had an extra scratch on it, like it was taken off a list. "General, why are some of the names scratched off?" Cham sighed and told me those people died fighting either the Separatist or the Empire, including his wife.

"I'm sorry." It was all that could come out of my mouth. I've lost faith in my parents, but losing someone you actually care about? I haven't been through that.

Cham left afterwards. But I decided to stick around for a while. I remembered Gobi telling me about my trials on my first night here. From what I understand, I will have to survive out in different, but equally hazardous environments of Ryloth. Whether it's having to live with Gutkurrs, getting past packs of Lyleks, infiltrating the Imperial fortress of Nabat, or starving for days with no help. Every two weeks I can return for resupplying, but I have only five hours to do so, and the supplies I can take are limited.

The whole procedure will last for roughly two months, or go on until I pass. But since the Empire is growing every day here, those who take the trial won't necessary have to be solo. I was one such example. While I was driving the ITT earlier this morning, Nordon informed me that I will be joining Numa tonight when she comes back for resupplying.

They've detailed out everything, which is a lot. They even told me this kind of trial only happens when Cham is too busy to train new members himself. It was weird to be, but it's quite reasonable for them to have such a system, since the Movement was created for almost 10 years, which is very long for an insurgent group.

I should really just stop thinking that much. Or at least not now.


	3. Chapter 3:

'Breakthrough'

Day 1-18:33:51

Syndulla House, Tann Province

"...so he lived, didn't he?" "Yeah. Not likely he'll survive after tomorrow. He's going out there with the girl." The voice of chatting grew louder and louder as I headed towards the mess hall. I've already decided not to have too much, as it might hinder my movement later on.

Don't even ask me what to expect. Yet another mean gal that will only make fun of me? Hell I won't be surprised anymore. I didn't even bother to stop outside to check what's in store for me. I just walked right in, without giving a damn to all the mocking or joking or whatever the vets said about me.

"Speak of the devil, there he is!" Crost exclaimed as I walked through the door. "You know you are a lucky bastard, kid. First you join us with no problem, and you overcome the mission this morning. Now you might find your first love. Not everyone gets to live their lives like that." Said Nordon. I was confused, really confused. I know, working with another person for long periods really does something to yourself. But to that extent? It's hard to imagine.

"The hell are you talking about?" I asked. However I was thinking otherwise. I was only 15, probably the only underaged soldier fighting against the Empire. "She's roughly your age, that's why." Replied Krev. I still don't get it, not yet. I guess I will in time. I sat down where the less experienced were gathered when the vets told me to do so.

"So uh...where is Numa? I've heard of her name but...that's all." I asked after I finished my dinner, which fortunately wasn't a lot. I felt a solid pat on my right shoulder just when I finished my sentence. "I'm right behind you." Replied a young and accented voice.

I looked behind me and found out why my shoulder hurt so much. She wore a full set of clone armour on her left arm, and had a Republic backpack with her. She was also carrying a DC15A, which was surprising because it was supposed to weight quite a lot.

I didn't have time to worry about what she looked like, though. It was time for both of us to leave. "Well, it's nice to meet you at last." I said. I was acting, though. Because I don't see any logical explanation that she'll be different from the rest. I picked up my backpack and headed to the door, after I

Four hours later...

"Alright, buh-bye, blurrgs." Said Numa as we got off the blurrgs. We're holed up inside the wreckage of an Acclamator class Republic transport, about 30 miles away from Nabat. I was taught that the remains of the transport was always filled with munitions and all sorts of gadgets and droids. The only problem is we're not alone in here. Native creatures tend to use the wreckage as shelter too.

"Better minimise our signature, I'm pretty sure their smell is as good as the dogs from my planet." I said. "Yeah I know that. That's why we're staying at the bridge." Replied Numa. "Better find an armoury first. Who knows what we can find in there." I said to her.

"Good idea, even though I doubt if there's anything left." Said Numa. I looked around and saw nothing useful or intact, at all. Everything I can see is either irrelevant to our mission or disintegrated. I just hope she's wrong. We're staying out in the wild for two weeks, and solely depending on the resources we're carrying is certainly not enough.

I noticed a corridor on top of a pile of destroyed gunships. The lights were barely functional. I guess it's about time I used something the twi'leks don't have. I pulled down my thermal visor from my forehead and activated it. The sight in front of me turned from near complete darkness to a shroud of blue and red.

"Through the hallway, up there." I pointed at the corridor I found. "Where?" Numa replied in confusion. "Just follow me." I answered to her.

"How do you know it's there?" Numa asked as we scaled up the wrecked transport through the series of hallways and elevator shafts. "This thing I'm wearing allows me to see in the dark. That's why. It's one of the only things I have that is from my planet." I replied.

So far Numa was right. Everything in the ship is beyond repair. As I was losing hope, I noticed a orange blur on my visor. "Hold on. I'm reading multiple heat signatures. Looks like detonators."

I forced open the door of the turbolift and slid down the corridor I just revealed, right outside the armoury. "I told you, we'll find something, one way or another." I continued as I filled my backpack with thermal detonators.

"I guess you're right. But I'm more interested in...uh...what do you call this?" Asked Numa. I turned around and saw her holding the chest piece of a clone armour. I almost laughed, but then I remembered not every twi'leks knows basic.

"It's called armour. Let me guess, you're still learning basic?" I replied. She sighed and turned her attention back to the chest plate. "Yeah. It's not as easy as you think, especially not when the Empire's constantly trying to sell me off world to some slavers."

"I'm sorry." But before I could say anything more, another orange blur appeared on my visor, and it was growing bigger and bigger. "Gutkrrs, we've got company." I said as I paced backwards slowing, trying my best not to make any noise. The blur paused directly in front of me, and now all that's between us was the wall.

"Stay, back." I whispered to Numa. I could hear the gutkrr's angry growl become louder and louder. As I leaned against the wall, the 'blur' moved again, this time to the doorway. If it takes even a single step inside, it's over for both of us. I drew my rifle and aimed at the doorway, fingers poised on the trigger.. I was ready to fire it at any moment. All it takes is its nose to stick through the doorway.

At one point it even sniffed for our scent at the doorway of the armoury. Numa drew her DC15A as well. It might just increase our odds of defeating the gutkrr if we ever have to, since gutkrrs are vulnerable to armour-piercing rounds from that sniper rifle(sort of). The downside was that gutkrrs never come alone, ther's always at least another one lurking around.

Just when I was about to let loose and go guns blazing, the gutkrr miraculously backed off and moved away from the armoury. As it moved further away, I signalled the all clear to Numa. Her hands were still shaking, just like mine, except my palms were soaked with sweat.

"That was close." I commented. "Reminds me of another encounter with these savages. I was only 5 back then, it still gives me the creeps." Replied Numa.

Her words reminded of my experience of getting haunted by monsters. I'm not concerned that they're contagious and will turn you into one of them, what I'm truly afraid of is their white eyes and horrendous faces. "You're not the only one haunted by monsters, Numa."

"Some kind of apex predator that wants you for dinner?" She asked innocently. I sighed, so obviously she has never heard of zombies before. "No. Technically it's a virus. It's capable of bringing a dead body back to life. And when it does, that corpse would try to infect you by biting you. That's why I freak out every time I go toss out the trash every night. You probably won't understand now." I replied.

I fired my grapple up to the top of the elevator shaft, and so did Numa. "Come on. Let's talk when we get up there." Numa lay down her backpack as soon as we reached the bridge at the top of the elevator shaft, and so did I. She the pulled out her comlink and reported to Cham. "Spectre 2-2 to Arcadia, we've settled inside a Republic transport. All is well for now."

"Copy 2-2. I assume that lil' Ghost is fine too?" Numa chuckled in response and glanced at me. "He' better that okay. Don't worry about him." She said, her accent making her sound like she pronounced something wrong.

"Get some rest, the both of you. You're going to Nabat tomorrow. Arcadia out." Numa sat down on the remains of a chair in the bridge while I sat on the floor. "Out of all the nicknames the other guys thought of, why Ghost?" I asked.

"Your mask says it all." She replied. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The drawing on my balaclava was basically the skull of a human, so getting called a Ghost seems reasonable. "Besides, you don't really talk a lot. Someone made you mad back there?" She continued.

"Normally I'd say everyone. But what can I do? I'm new after all." I replied.

"You said you've encountered those beasts before. What happened when you saw those gutkrrs the last time?" I asked. "It was the Clone Wars back then. I was just a kid when the Separatists invaded Ryloth. I managed not to get caught by them. I was found by two clones sometime later, then we ran into the gutkrrs. Something like that. We all lived." Answered Numa. "Speaking of Waxer and Boil, I really miss them."

I didn't say a word. I just sat where I was in silence. "What is your name? I don't think you mentioned it to anyone." Numa continued.

"Ion. It's what my friends used to call me."

I guess if I can survive a night with her, then all's well. I won't have to worry losing half my dignity.


	4. Chapter 4:

Flashback mission

'Terror of a Terran'

Present day-18:34:20

HK International Spaceport, HK

New nickname found: Ion

"We are now arriving at HK international Spaceport. Please exit on the left side for Terminal 1 and on the right side for Terminal 2." I got up from the seat of the turbo train and grabbed my gear on the luggage rack. I'm well aware that my course of action is highly hazardous and I might end up dying in a way I wasn't supposed to. But compared to living in a society where a single failure is more than enough to get you killed, it's no contest.

The Empire has transformed my world from bad to worse. It used to be just crappy politicians I never cared about, but when the Empire came, they not only revealed the true face of most of them, but also transformed our education system. They pollute the schools with propaganda, forcefully make us learn things we were never supposed to learn, taking over our thoughts and minds, and discriminate those who try to resist from such a system.

I'm officially done with everyone trying to brainwash me. I'm going to wherever my flight might take me, and start a new life, where I can pursue my goals, my OWN goals.

I've heard a lot of bad things done by the Empire, but enslaving the Twi'leks angered me the most. "They're not objects, they're sentients god-dammit! They deserve better than being anyone's tools!" I said this during a speech from commander Slavin in my school. It was probably the loudest time I spoke in my life. I ended up getting a D in my conduct grade because of this and a good beating from my parents, but I never regretted it. In fact, I would have, if I backed away and kept this solely in my mind.

I was thinking about it when I was grabbed by the shoulder. "Sir, you're under arrest. You are to follow me or face our blaster squad." It was a stormtrooper, exactly the last person I want to see.

I was brought to their office, and before I could protest, a fist slammed on my face, hard. "You better tell me what is happening." Said an old and angry voice. It was my dad. I see both of my parents as pathetic bystanders, only willing to oppose me about my thoughts that are against the Empire.

"You could've lived your life peacefully here, get a job from the Empire, and be a successful person. You just need to work hard. Why do you have to go out there and kill yourself?" "Why can you even abandon your family for such a pathetic goal? "All you have to do is to study more, and when you get a job from the Empire, you can have all you ever wanted!"

But for what? So that I can kill and enslave whoever I want? I used to love my family, but they ended up showing their true colours when the Empire came. I couldn't stay with them no more.

I was detained for seven hours. They threw everything they had in an attempt to brainwash me. Some used brute force, while others said my name and tried to play nice. I didn't fall for either one of them.

I don't want power, I want freedom, and to offer it to others who don't have.

I not giving up just because of these bastards.

After the events of this day I fell into a state of deep depression. Every so often I burst into tears when no one was looking. But in the same time, I actually worked hard. I learned more and more skills in fighting the Empire every day, and this time I knew exactly where I'm going.

Ryloth.

438 days later...

It's a big day today. Either a whole year of work is for nothing and I die or I finally earn my freedom. The Empire is taking me and my friends for a TIE fighter tutorial at the spaceport today, and I knew it was my golden opportunity to get out.

Right now I'm back at the spaceport. Only this time I didn't come with a ticket, I came with the know-how of flying a TIE interceptor. All are capable of hyperdrive, which is a major reason I chose this day to go.

The instructor led us into the restricted zone and into the airfield, where the TIEs were already waiting for us. What I'm going to do is that I'll wait until they lead us into space, then I'll jump to Ryloth, leaving them behind.

"I'm sure you all remember what you learned last lesson. Now get inside your designated fighters and turn on the engines. Take the droid next to it too, it'll help you throughout the tutorial." Said the instructor.

I headed to my TIE, a astromech was waiting for me there. I managed to lift its fat body up into the cockpit of the TIE. I know the astromech is going to be a trouble, since it is programmed to be loyal to the Empire, it could abort my jump and I'll be back in a square one.

But I've got a few tricks in my sleeve as well. There was a riot near the Empire's headquarters in my hometown, many imperial E-11s went missing, and I was just lucky enough to find one. Right now it's hidden inside my jacket and out of plain sight, but I will use it if I have to.

I powered up my TIE and fired up the engines. The other pilots followed, and the squadron lifted off away from the airfield. "What's your name, droid?" I asked the astromech, who replied in binary. "R5A44, got it."

"Okay, will somebody be generous enough to perform a barrel roll? Just to show that you didn't forget your lessons." Said the instructor. I volunteered, only because I want to leave the atmosphere and jump into hyperspace, away from my destroyed home.

"Nice job pilot. Everyone follow me, we're going outside." Ordered the instructor. The sky became darker and darker as we ascended. Soon we're up in space, and I knew it was time to put my mind together. If I fail again, I'm doomed.

I set the jump coordinates to Ryloth. R5 beeped in confusion, but before it could finish its sentence, I pulled out my E-11 and shot it five times on its dome, with lethal shots. "What is going on, 2-6? Why is your hyperdrive powering up?"

"Sorry guys, gotta go." I whispered to the comms on my helmet and pushed the hyperdrive lever. A loud roar from the engine followed, and before I knew it, I was light years away from my home.

I did it. I actually did it.

About 2 hours later...

I jumped out of hyperspace just above Ryloth. It wasn't a big difference from Earth, except it had less ocean on it. An imperial blockade was surrounding it, just as I expected. I'm gonna have to put up a fight.

"TIE SS26, this is destroyer Dominion. Please send authorisation codes to proceed." They have no idea this was a stolen fighter, I guess I have the element of surprise, for now. I didn't answer to their request, instead I located the nearest TIE patrol around the blockade and shot them down with the six cannons on my fighter.

"It's a hostile! All fighters, engage at will!" The blockade was in turmoil and and TIEs soon filled the sky. I punched down the acceleration and tried to speed past them, but not without doing some damage to the fleet first. I turned my TIE slightly to the left, straight towards and escort cruiser.

I opened up on the cruiser with my six cannons. The ship remained standing, but it's turrets disintegrated. I then flew towards the destroyer, trying to keep myself as close to the surface of it as possible. I was about to collide into the bridge when I pulled up. I unloaded everything I got into it, but unfortunately it caused no significant damage.

I finally decided it was time to run. I raced to the planet surface, hoping to outrun the AA guns and the TIE fighters. But when I was passing through the atmosphere, I was hit by a torpedo. I had no idea if I was going to survive the crash or what, but either way, I fulfilled my mission, and I'm damn proud of myself for it.

Reality

"Whoa!" I screamed as I bounced off the floor. I was about to crash onto the surface. "You had a nightmare?" Asked Numa. "Yeah. I think so. Nothing serious. We should go." I answered. "We're heading to Nabat today. Cause some mayhem, give the Empire trouble. It's not going to affect you, right?" She continued.

"No. Not at all. Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5:

'Fort Nabat'

Day 2-09:46:53

Ion(Call sign Spectre 2-3)

10 miles South of Nabat

"Spectre 2-3 to 2-2. I'm in position, 20 meters away from the walls." I was alone down here, with no cover but Numa's sniper support. The vets are right, the outer walls of Nabat are filled with E-webs and automated turrets. "Let's see. Alright, I see you. Six guards at your twelve o'clock, including two auto turrets." Replied Numa.

I looked up and noticed two groups of three on top of the wall. Each had a E-web turret with them. Below was a pair of single-barrel auto-turrets. Fortunately they were stationary for now, but I know it's not going to be easy to keep it that way. "Damn. Look at their positioning, constantly looking at each other, no way we can take one out without alerting the others." I said after observing their movement for a few seconds. "Too right my friend. Give me a moment." Answered Numa.

There was no reason to object, so I went prone and waited. As I lay in wait, I shifted my attention between the two groups of guards and the turrets. I was trying to formulate a plan when my comlink came to life. "I have an idea. Take out both of the turrets first." Said Numa.

"That works. Then you take out the bucketheads on the top bunker. I'll handle the lower. Guards like these never look up." I suggested. "Good point. I'll do that. Ready when you are." I aimed down my sights and drilled exactly what I'm going to do in my head. I took a deep breath, and pulled down the trigger.

As soon as I heard a muffled explosion, I shifted my aim to the second turret and destroyed it as well. I noticed the three stormtroopers on the upper bunker looking down, trying to find the source of the noise. But before they could find it, a series of blue energy bolts pierced through their heads, killing them instantly.

The remaining guards spotted me and fired on my position. I took one out, but I was forced to run when one of them manned the e-web. "Good night you bastard." Another energy bolt blew a hole in the gunner's armour. The last guard was taken down by me before he could respond.

I panted in relief and got over the wall. "Ion, I see an imperial convoy North-West of your position. It's carrying slaves. We gotta do something." Said Numa. Normally I'd get cold feet when I receive tasks I didn't expect, but for some reason, I was really hyped. "About time we do something out here." I replied with a grin on my face.

I found my way to the other side of the wall minutes later and stowed my rifle away. The city looked old and rugged, with signs of a gunfight every two buildings. But it was still standing, despite the events of the Separatist invasion. I slowed down and tried to keep an eye on my surroundings. Because who knows if an imperial is waiting for me around the corner.

I was walking to the transport when Numa suddenly stopped me. "Hold up. The transport you're looking at is our target. Dig in before they see you." I ducked behind the closest supply crate I could see and adjusted my focus. The imps weren't close, not at all, maybe 50 meters away. I didn't dare move a muscle, since it feels like half of them are looking at my direction.

Right when I was about to crack, the stormtroopers turned to a queue strolling towards the transport. For a second I though they were fished out of a swamp, but then I realised they were the slaves Numa was talking about. "They must've been through a rough ride." I commented.

"Then let's not make it even rougher. Take your shot if you can. I'm already in position on the roof." Replied Numa. I drew my rifle and aimed at one of the stormtroopers observing the whole transfer. I must admit, it was difficult to fire without hitting one of the slaves, but if I fire too late, it will be of no use at all.

My dilemma ended when my sights were covered by a red light. I looked away from my crosshairs, and an imperial probe was waiting for me. I shouted in my horror as its sudden appearance caught me off guard. The probe shot first and barely missed me, I tripped over, but I managed to fire a five round burst into the probe before my ear hit the ground. The probe's eye flashed with lightning, its cannons firing at random directions, and eventually, it disintegrated in a loud explosion.

I was immediately overwhelmed by a cluster of red blaster bolts. It was that moment I knew I screwed up, but nonetheless, I had to finish the fight I started. A good friend of mine taught me that when I told him I was going off planet to fight the Empire. "I don't know if you're for real or what, but if you are, then fight till your last breath...or till you win." Those words rang in my head like a broadcast every time I hit a wall, and this time was no exception.

I got back to my feet and returned fire at the stormtroopers. Neither of us hit anyone at the beginning. I nearly slipped again when a stormtrooper flanked me and started firing on me. I aimed my rifle at his chest and managed to put several holes in his armour before my back hit the side of the ITT transport. As I tried to catch my breath, I heard echoes of sniper fire coming from in front of me, followed by blue energy bolts landing just two meters away from me and corpses of stormtroopers falling on the ground.

With no warning at all, the transport's engines started and its side slammed on me hard. My sights became blurry, and I couldn't tell left from right for a moment. By the time I got back to my senses the transport had already got a five second head start. I tried to give chase, but after a few seconds I realised it is no use if I didn't get up to the rooftops.

And that's what I did. Almost immediately, I caught sight of the transport on my lower right. I knew I'd be screwed if I let it get away, so with no time to waste, I leaped off the roof and onto another in an attempt to narrow my distance between myself and the transport.

I couldn't see Numa at all, and I certainly wasn't gaining ground either. I was anxious, and frustrated. Where is she when I need help the most?

* * *

My legs are on the brink of falling apart. I've been chasing the transport for hours, with no sign of stopping at all. Every time I think I'm gaining on it, the driver does something fancy and gives me a hard time. My worst fear is a death trap waiting to be sprung on me, or a madman commander eager to slit my throat just for fun. I've seen both, experienced one of them firsthand. And I don't want it to happen on me or any of my friends.

All of a sudden, the transport sparkled in blue like a christmas tree. It started drifting and its tail rammed into several barrels placed on the side of the road. It didn't stop rotating until it cannons were lodged into the buildings on the side of the road. At last it came to a stop after it slid for a few more meters. My first act wasn't getting down there and fight them face to face. I sat down behind a billboard and waited until my legs are operational again, which didn't take long.

I aimed for the driver and fired a volley of blaster bolts, killing both drivers instantly. The surviving stormtroopers poured out of the downed transport and took position behind any cover they could find. But that didn't stop me from dropping them with a few easy shots.

I hopped off the roof and onto the boulders and finally onto the ground. But before I could move any closer to the transport, a squad of three gunships touched down directly ahead of me and deployed dozens of stormtroopers. "The slaves have escaped. Get them back unless you want to be disposed at Recklam! Leave no survivors! And find that human!" I heard they say. The squads here on Ryloth were well known for their brutality. They show no mercy to anyone, one big reason I couldn't stand the Empire.

I was constantly reminded to treat every mission my last. I hope it doesn't come to that point, but from things here I'm seeing, I got to massacre them first, kill them all until it's done. I switched my rifle to full-auto and unleashed my fury upon the hunting squad. Four of them fell almost instantly, while the rest fanned out in different directions. I turned to my right and managed to gun down another stormtrooper. The firefight intensified overtime, and I was forced to mantle on the transport.

"Much better." I said to myself as I shot two more stormtrooper on my left flank. A mass of them returned to counter me while the rest continued to hunt down the escapers. I knew I had to finish them quickly, before they massacre the whole joint. I noticed a stormtrooper peeking out of his cover from afar. Without thinking twice, I targeted him, and soon made my job of taking out every stormtrooper easier.

The remaining stormtroopers gathered around the transport. One moved in an attempt to put an end on me. Instead he became my next target and was tackled by me when I jumped off the transport to keep myself from being overwhelmed up there. I leaped forward and knocked down another trooper who was about to blast me. His blaster flew into the air and discharged a few bolts into the air. The other stormtroopers fired at me once again, resulting in a few very close calls. One got close to me and knocked my rifle out of my hand. He tried to punch me, but I dodged and jabbed him on his helmet, rendering him unconscious.

Another stormtrooper raised his E-11 and tried to hit me with the stock. I drew my vibroblade and stabbed him in the belly, where his armour was the weakest. His wound bursted open, spilling blood all over my hand and chest plate. His arm hanged there and loosened his grip on his rifle. It fell on the ground with a loud clang as I grabbed a third stormtrooper and threw him against the wall.

My blood was boiling for a fight by now. I still remember why I was here, but I needed(more like I wanted) to finish the last two stormtroopers before moving.

I renewed my grip on my vibroblade, and so did they. Their knife was different from mine. It almost resembled the knife the military from my world used to carry, but that didn't scare me. Not a bit. One lost his cool and charged at me. He pushed me back by a few meters, but I kept my balance and loosened his grip on me. He swung his knife towards me in response. My new gloves, which were salvaged in the old Republic transport, were fitted with striped armour plating, which allowed me to block his attack.

Before he could make another move, I kicked him as hard as I can towards the other stormtrooper. Both collapsed, and I panted in relief, staring at my victory. I bent down and picked up my rifle. It had been ten minutes since the transport was stopped. And if I don't keep going, the stormtroopers here won't be the only casualties anymore.

I didn't even make a hundred meters without being spotted by another group of stormtroopers, the same group that the gunships deployed. We fired at each other, but neither one of us scored a hit. With no visible cover, I had to hit the deck and hope for the best.

Miraculously, a stormtrooper was shot in the back, leaving a hole in his helmet. _I didn't do that._ I thought. Two of the stormtroopers turned around, and as they did, I noticed a spot of white and teal in the distance. About damn time.

I got back up on my feet and gunned down another stormtrooper. The bucketheads fell one by one. The last one was killed when he took a blow in the head from Numa. I reloaded my rifle after he fell to the ground, and the two of us approached each other.

"We gotta go. There's still a whole pack of hunting squad out there." Numa raised her eyebrow and turned her attention to the street behind her. I looked at her direction, and noticed the hunting squad I was so worried about, or what's left of it. "You did that all by yourself? AND stopped the transport?" I gasped.

"Uh-huh. What happened to you?" She asked. "Well uh..." I looked back at the pile of bodies behind me and grinned under my mask. "...I'd spare the details." I replied. "The prisoners are fine, by the way." Said Numa.

"Thank almighty. Reinforcements will be here soon. We should go." I suggested.

"I know how to stay out of sight. Into the sewers. Follow me." She replied.

After 6 hours of evading...

Somewhere in the Badlands

I plopped down on the sand and leaned on my backpack. Numa was sitting just beside me, listening to the news with her hologram. She switched it to a map of a section of Ryloth as I glanced at her arm. At last I broke the silence.

"Sorry about getting us into trouble." I said, a deep sigh from my mouth followed. "It's already better than losing another four innocent people to those damn imps and Hutts. Oh, and certain Weequays." Replied a surprisingly calm Numa. _And I thought I was screwed. I guess I can put that behind._

I noticed her becoming uneasy as she said the word "Weequays". I was thinking to ask her, but then I realised I can't, and shouldn't ask her directly. Certainly not today. "Do you have any friends where you're younger?" I decided to change the subject. "Yeah. Val, and Lubo. That SOB used to scare me with gutkurr chicks all the time. Not the reason I'm scared of them, though." She answered softly.

The sun was only about a feet away from the horizon by now. The day is over, with dozens of extra kills gained. Things will get harder, I know. But with a friend on my side this time, unlike what the Empire used to impart, I'll fight on and do what I always wanted to do.

To offer freedom.

"I don't know what will happen to them. But whatever happens, they'll be damn proud of you."


	6. Chapter 6:

"Aggressor"

Day 14-19:34:22

Ion

Syndulla House

Over the last two week Numa and I have struck critical hard points around Nabat and gave the Imperial forces a heck lot of trouble and scolding. We burned through ammo considerably fast, but otherwise all that we did in the last two weeks were successful.

But as we returned for a supply refill, Gobi broke some very bad news to both of us. It was a major threat to the movement, and I can see why after attending the emergency meeting held upon our return.

"People, listen up. Starting from tonight, our enemies will no longer be standard imps, but well trained forces and possibly the Sith. Pok, one of our lieutenants, was brutally killed during a raid at the Yaga Minor Shipyard, by Darth Vader himself." Announced Cham.

Some of the twi'leks gasped, while others muttered with a fearful voice. I leaned over to Numa and whispered to her. "I've heard of a Sith called Palpatine, but who the hell is Darth Vader?"

Numa gazed back at me with a surprising look on her face. "How can you not know the right hand man of Palpatine? Darth Vader is another Sith loyal to him. He's pretty much a war criminal, with over dozens of records of leading massacre operations."

"We have intel that both Palpatine and Vader are paying a visit to Ryloth, along with senator Taa. We'll be moving back to our old hideout and get ready for the assassination. If anyone has questions, ask it now." Continued Cham. "No. Anything else I need to know?" I asked.

"One small thing. Your trials will go on as planned. You shouldn't contact us for any reason though." My jaws dropped. I was half expecting Cham to pour every men available to this plot, and I guess Numa thought the same, judging by the look of her face.

I was reluctant to comply, but orders are orders, and it didn't harm innocents. So I simply nodded and asked for permission to leave, since I didn't need to hear the briefing anyway. But Numa stayed for some reason.

I left for the armoury in the basement and grabbed six extra tibanna magazines, along with some energy cells for my sidearm. I didn't take the explosives though, for the Movement night need a considerable amount of them.

As soon as I finished refilling all my necessities, I returned to the war room to find Numa. But instead of seeing the twi'leks making preparations for the op, I heard voiced shouting inside the war room, like some huge argument going on in there.

I wasn't going to interrupt them, so I decided to just wait it out. A few minutes later I saw Numa raging out of the war room, her blue veins standing out of her forearm. "What's wro...whoa!" I was shoved aside heavily by Numa before I could finish my sentence. I was dazed and confused, I didn't even touch her(besides helping her up after a skirmish). So why was she in rage mode all of a sudden?

I turned back to the war room and saw Gobi standing at the doorway. "What just happened?" I asked anxiously. "When we first found Numa she barely escaped from being a slave. She thinks Taa is responsible for the immense slavery going on Ryloth and insisted on killing him along with the Sith." Replied Gobi.

"I guess you objected?" I asked. "WE objected. If we kill a senator we'll be no different from terrorists trying to put fear into everyone else. We can't just kill everyone against us." Gobi answered in a stern voice.

"And I agree. That's why my parents are still alive. But she has a point. Taa must answer for turning your planet into a puppet state. He doesn't even have the slightest respect to his entourage either. I saw many authentic books about him encouraging slavery and smuggling just to keep his wealth, back in the old days when freedom of publishing is still active, His own wealth. I know he's one of those high rollers, but someday he has got to go." I shot back angrily.

"And what? Lower ourselves into nothing more but terrorists?" Gobi questioned. "In their point of view we are already terrorists. Taa has done too much harm to the people here. People like Numa." My voice gradually grew dimmer as I finished my sentence. Taa practically gave Ryloth to the Empire for free, and in my view he deserves in hell. I just don't understand why the vets don't see it.

"Oohh. You've fallen in love already?" Said Gobi in a mocking voice. "No I..." I was interrupted by a loud yell before I could finish my sentence. "Enough! Both of you! Back to your own business. That's an order." Said Cham. I sighed in defeat and headed outside, where Groza should be waiting for me.

As I walked away, I thought of every word Gobi said to me. I do kind of like her, but to that extent? Not now, no. Duty comes first.

I came across Goll next to the wrecked Y-wing as I headed towards Groza. "You okay back there? Heard a lot of shouting in there." Said Goll. "No. Certainly not. They're pitting themselves against each other in there." I answered. I was in fact lying. What really pissed me off was Gobi's last sentence, combined with the hatred of the imps on Earth trying to turn me and my friends into droids.

"Holy hell. Must've been tough for both of you. Anyway, I suggest you go. Take this." Goll handed me a bag made out of fabric. Inside was a hundred credits. And with the combined skills of me and Numa, we could live for a solid month with that. "Man I owe you one. GTG(gotta go), May the force be with you all."

"Sure. And you too." Replied Goll.

A few minutes later...

Our blurggs raced across the Jixuan desert like a pod racer, picking up the sand and dust behind us. "Obviously they don't want us to take part in their big plans. It's our call then." I said.

"But to where? Every major Imperial operation I know is either too fortified for two to sneak in or off planet." Replied Numa. "Who said going off planet is a problem? The imps always have spaceships for us to steal. Pretty much every city has some spaceship like that to offer." I pointed.

"Okay. Spaceship, check. Guts, check. What do you intend to do?" I noticed an evil grin on Numa's face. "What's the worst thing the Empire is doing to Ryloth?" I asked. "Their existence is already the worst." Replied Numa.

"And in my point of view a weapons factory is an ideal target. There's one on the surface of Geonosis. It's run by some unwilling natives, this will be perfect for us." I said. "I see how it's gonna be then." Numa chuckled slightly. "Where do we find a ship then?"

"Our best shot is Rhovari. It's far less fortified than Nabat or Lessu. My only concern is the mercs there. They're the reason the Empire doesn't step foot there too often." I answered. Numa narrowed her eye and looked at me in doubt. "How do you know all this?" She asked.

"My fighter crashed when I came here. I ended up walking 200 miles to get to Rhovari. I lived there for 10 days until some imperial scouts recognised me. All hell broke loose, and then you guys found me. That's the story." I replied. That encounter still have me the chills, as it was the very first time I got into a real gunfight.

"I think Isval told me about that. Said I'll have to take care of you." Answered Numa. I didn't say anything. I kind of need some privacy, to think about my life.

Heh. Who knows what will happen next.


	7. Chapter 7:

"Danger zone"

Day 15-00:03:47

Ion

Rhovari, Ryloth

The old and rugged appearance of the shanty town reminded me of my past. Many things awake my memories, and the shanty town was no exception. The Empire on Earth always stressed us to strive for marks and achievement. Some of them make no sense, but it doesn't change the fact that my home is pretty broken.

I can still count at least a dozen of major problems in my old school if someone needs me to. The ever-increasing workload is certainly one. And instead of learning freely, the Empire introduced numerous tests in my homeworld. It inflicted almost half of my world. My hometown was the worst. The suicidal rate of students back there was the second among the whole planet.

And it isn't over when you make it through all this. The people's occupations in my hometown are constantly labelled, by money, power and other factors, usually associated with greed. But thats not me. I want to be a good person.

They used to say a person learns in failure, but today it's more like a person falls in failure. Nowadays you don't receive experience from a mistake, what really comes is scolding and sometimes a good beating. And this is why my life on Earth is falling apart.

But I'm not the only edgy teenager in the galaxy. From the way Gobi spoke to me, Numa has her own problems too. Probably the reason we make such good partners.

We settled ourselves in an improvised pub in Rhovari, with two holograms placed on the table to plan our assault. But right now we're in need of a break. I'm not in the mood to talk about our job yet, and Numa is sleeping on my shoulder pad. I heard the ringtone of my old cell phone as I drowned myself in my memories. I was quite surprised, my old phone wasn't supposed to be able to receive messages from light years away. But I grabbed it from my backpack anyway.

I didn't know what to expect, but when I turned it on, about a thousand of banners flashed in front of me, most of them were greetings from planet Earth. I touched the one sent from my best friend in my old school and read his message. "Heard about your escape. Godspeed." Sure it was plain, but a lot of people don't even appreciate me.

I scrolled down to see what others sent to me and came across a couple of death threats and a few junk messages among the greetings, but I didn't pay much attention to that. What I really was thinking about was Numa. I realised, I wasn't even angry about what she did to me back at Syndulla house. It was nothing compared to all the crappy things people on Earth did to me.

I looked over my shoulder and stroked her lekku gently. She's so beautiful, yet she's much more than a pretty face, with a bitter history buried deep within her lekku.

I once though I'd understand the BS about loving someone the vets said to me one day. Perhaps that day is not far. As I was thinking of what to do next, I heard a yawn off my right ear. "What time is it?" Said a sleepy voice.

"Twelve thirty-five, A.M." I replied. "Well then let's go! We have a ride to catch!" Said Numa in a much more energetic voice. The two of us headed out the pub and towards an airfield. "We have two approaches. We play smart or go in guns blazing. I'm fine with both." I said. "What is playing smart like?" Asked Numa. "One of us is going to infiltrate the airfield and steal the shuttle over there." I pointed at the lambda class shuttle parked at the center of the airfield.

"The other guy is going to be picked up at the far side of the town. I'll do the stealing part. Just get to the other side." I continued. "I'll cut their power to make your job easier. Good luck." Replied Numa. I nodded and sprinted to a building on my right. There was a gap between the building's walls and the airfield's, which will allow me to leap inside.

I mantled the walls of the airfield, with the assistance of the building's. There're three TIE bombers inside, along with a squadron of TIE fighters. The shuttle was among the dead center of all the other aircraft, standing out of the black paint job of the others.

"Do it." I said through my comms. Within a split second, all the spotlights in the base went dark. Stormtroopers were rushing towards the power supply and droids were ramming into each other. With no time to waste, I hopped down behind a pile of supply crates and lay in wait.

I reached for my comlink and pressed the only button on it. "Spectre 2-2, have you made it to the other side of town yet?" I asked. "Almost there. I assume you're not having trouble?" She replied. "No. Just get there. I'll get the shuttle in no time. See you on the other side." I said.

I put away my comlink and peeked out of the crates. It became clear that the stormtroopers guarding the shuttle weren't going anywhere, not when they aren't distracted. I noticed an astromech droid beside a TIE fighter on my right. Apparently it was making repairs for that eyeball.

I grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it towards the astromech as hard as I can. It barely missed, but the noise it made was enough to make two of the stormtroopers turn around. "What was that?" One said.

"I hope it's not rebels. You two! Search the area." Ordered another stormtrooper. I drew my sidearm and continued to observe, the two stormtroopers soon vanished into the dark and a 10 second window was opened. I creeped behind the stormtrooper, still standing beside the shuttle, and executed him with my vibroblade.

There was no sign of the other two bucketheads. I sprinted to the cockpit and powered up the shuttle. The engines' roar grew louder and louder, and gradually stormtroopers gathered around the shuttle and started firing laser bolts at me, but to no avail. The ship may be slow and nearly unarmed, but it can certainly hold its own when fighting against individuals.

"2-2, I got the shuttle. You better tell me you're there! Those bucketheads are really pissed!" I yelled. "Yeah. I can see that!" Shouted Numa in return. I pulled the control joystick backwards and accelerated the shuttle, moving my recently obtained shuttle away from the stormtroopers.

As I flew towards the other side of the town I noticed Numa twisting the neck of a scout trooper. I hit the ramp switch and reached for my comlink once more. "Hey get on board! The TIEs won't be far behind!" I exclaimed.

I noticed Numa sprinting towards the shuttle and heard the clanging sounds of heavy-duty boots under the cockpit. I hit the ramp switch again and yanked the joystick backwards. The shuttle's head pointed towards the night sky, and accelerated out of the atmosphere.

As I stabilised the shuttle, I saw a fleet of three light cruisers standing in our way. I set the coordinates for Geonosis on the nav computer, and pushed the hyperdrive lever forward. The space around the shuttle became lines of white and blue, and seconds later the shuttle was travelling at light speed.

I turned away from the controls and headed towards the cargo compartment below. Numa was sitting at one side, toning her DC-17. "Ion, about what I did back at Syndulla house, I'm sorry. It's just too much for me to take." She said sadly.

"It's okay. Seriously. Don't let it go to your head." I replied and sat beside her. "It's going to take at least twenty minutes to get to Geonosis." I continued.

"My fault or not, I need to tell you something. I need to tell you what happened back then." Said Numa.


	8. Chapter 8:

Author note: All dialogues in this chapter are spoken in foreign language.

* * *

"The reaper"

2 years after the end of the Clone Wars

10:23:18

Numa Bril

Suburban school, Nabat

Life went on as normal after the liberation of Ryloth. I was studying in an underground school with my two best friends, Val and Lubo. It used to be just listening to some useless history and learning how to get around the planet quickly. But things changed when I reached the age of ten.

Instead of the old usual stuff, the teachers were now stressing discipline and the so-called glory of the Hutt race, of how they offered the twi'leks a job in the galaxy. It did feel a little off, but I believed them anyway. My uncle was changing too. He was also drilling my discipline, even though I've been relatively obedient.

Overtime I noticed my female classmates' outfit become more and more revealing, particularly those who hit puberty early. It's not just off now, it's getting creepy.

On a certain day two years later...

I didn't go straight home after school. Instead, I went to find my peer mentor in the school: Hera Syndulla. As soon as I left school I walked to the basement of the Nabat Spaceport, where Hera always hangs out and plays in her pilot outfit.

Surprisingly, she was wearing the same old pilot jumpsuit when I saw her, with an Ace of Spades symbol on her right thigh. She hasn't changed at all, besides getting taller. I wish I could do the same, without having a very hard time.

"You don't look too bright, Numa." Whispered Hera. "Not my problem. Listen, there's something strange going on in my school. I might need your help." I replied. "What kind of strange things?" Asked Hera.

So I told her everything. From the promotion of the Hutt race to the newly introduced dance lessons in school, and even including how my female classmates' outfit are falling out of line(at least I think so)Hera frowned as I spoke, and finally made a response after twitching her lekku several times.

"It's a stage where pretty much every twi'lek girl has to go through. Learning dance moves to present to their masters. I'm Usually Hutts, but sometimes it could be Weequays or even Zygerrians." Sighed Hera. I almost shrieked when I heard her say 'Zygerrians'. They're slavers almost half a galaxy away from Ryloth. What ties do we have with them?

"Oh no...but...why are Zygerrians involved? Doesn't this just happen when we get older? What does all this have to do with them?" I was at the brink of panicking. Ending up in a palace as someone's tool for sexual lust is definitely not something I had in mind. "I know what you're afraid of Numa, and you're right to be afraid. You'll become a slave, unless you have a die hard heart." Replied Hera.

I felt a chill down my spine. I know I don't have to prove to anyone I'm a free soul, but myself, and my nerras, always wanted me to be free. I felt a strong urge of resisting, but with no one on my side, I didn't know what to do or where to start.

I tried to keep my cool, even though I know it was just a matter of time before I have a total meltdown. "Then shit's really hitting the fan. I need your help." I begged, knowing there is no one I can turn to for help.

"I don't know if I'm even capable of helping you. My father is, but he'll never be willing to. Trust me, I would, if I know the how-to." Answered Hera. I was getting desperate, since my only biological family would be happy to see me get a 'job' in the Hutt society.

"Please Hera. You know as well as I do that you and my brothers are the only ones that I can trust, but my brothers are not free." I said anxiously. "All right, all right you little one." Hera sighed in defeat. "I can teach you a few moves…from the ancient Spartans." She continued.

Although I was much troubled by my future, I grinned slightly. The ancient Spartans were the guardians of freedom in my point of view. And despite their ultimate downfall to overwhelming force of the Hutts, they fought hard, and they fought well while they're standing. It's why I always longed to learn a thing or two from them.

"Phew! I sure owe you one this time. I'll be here every two days. Be here." I said. "Sure thing lil'sister. Better go, before your uncle starts questioning you." Replied Hera. I nodded with a smile on my face and headed back to the surface of the city, where my home is located.

I didn't say anything about my talk with Hera, and simply faced my uncle's relentless efforts of training me to be unnecessarily obedient. "Trust no one." That's all I know about what I should do.

I must've gotten careless about keeping my mouth shut about my intentions of getting out of the system, though. Because about a week after I started my training session with Hera, I was called in the middle of a lesson, along with Val and about a dozen of other female schoolmates.

I knew I was done for, even though part of me convinced I can ride the storm and let time do its job. But I knew, deep down, bad things don't just go. They transform into something equally bad, or worse, like when the Republic turned into the Empire. The only way to get rid of bad things, is to do something about it.

Strange mind for a twi'lek, right?

Half a day later...

We were taken to a sports arena in the city of Lessu, with nothing but what we're already carrying in our pockets, even though most of us don't have one. All I had was a trinket of a tooka doll I made during art lesson, which was something I frequently use to remember them.

I stood in the middle of the line of twi'leks, having no idea on what we're waiting . One thing I noticed about the other twi'leks was that they were mostly a little bit older and taller than me, which wasn't a detail that helped much.

Another thing those twi'leks had in common was their appearance and clothing. I never considered myself pretty, but the others sure were. On top of that, there were bounty hunter-like figures standing everywhere, with stern looks painted on their faces. Mercenaries.

That's when it hit me: everyone who hit puberty early was called during their classes. Hera and Val were right, the authorities are indeed looking for people to enslave. There's no way out of this then. I tilted my head to the left and tried to get a view on the front of the line. And when I did, I saw a twi'lek standing in the middle of the arena, more like dancing. Her outfit was equally exposing to what the rest of the twi'leks were wearing.

I was forced to wear like this though, by Nilim and the rest of my relatives. I didn't want to think about them. It'll only make my situation go from bad to worse. I was cut off when one of the mercenaries shouted. "Hey! Get back in the line!"

I was almost scared to death by his fiery tone. I stood where I was, without peeking out of the queue. I couldn't find Val anywhere. Chances are she was already assigned to her new 'master', and that's going to be a long five years for her. In five years time, I promised myself, I'll rescue her and every other friend of mine who have become slaves. No matter what the odds.

After a few minutes I concluded that the arena was too heavily guarded for me to slip out. Until there's a spot where there're less mercs, I'll have to go through with the procedure, but on my terms. From what I overheard I have around two days to look for an opportunity to get out of all of this. Fortunately I'll be staying on Ryloth soil until I was picked by a slaver. So I didn't have to worry about transport.

But if I am going to run, I'll have to do it quick. Exporting procedures are never solid, as uncle Cham accounted during a parents day in my school when I was 8 years old. And things could really go from bad to worse.

Before I knew it, there were only fifteen people left before it was my turn. The security at the front of the line was as heavy as the back, so there was no other way, besides going through and looking for an opportunity later on.

I waited in fear until I was the first in the line. I strolled out to the centre of the arena, paying attention to every detail I can find to make my escape more likely to succeed. But I didn't give a damn to the broadcaster on the viewing platform, or anyone else on it. Their lewd eyes creeped me out.

Despite how much I hate to remember the words the grown-ups said to me about the exporting, I still remember what they asked me to do in the middle of the arena. Basically I had to perform every last dance move stored in my lekku, and think of nothing else.

It was the worst fifteen minutes of my life.

By the time I was done my head was consumed of fear and anger instead a full load of lies. A merc led me to a group of twi'leks and I sat down beside them. One of them looked at me and asked. "How old are you?"

"Twelve. You?" I said.

"Holy...you're just twelve? You deserve better." She replied. I looked at my rugged sneakers and sighed in defeat. "Maybe. But most people don't think so. In their point of view we're just...things." I was too sad to look anywhere else. In just a day I went from a typical student to a going-to-be slave, and I could do nothing to prevent that from happening.

If even Hera says it's my destiny, why will it ever change?

I hate myself, and the high rollers on Ryloth. I always thought and asked people close to me "why didn't somebody do something about slavery?". I always hated power and inequality, but some people just had to use it against Ryloth.

I know I'll be dead by the time I can wait it out, but I'm too hopeless to do anything.

That same night the group I was brought to gathered in a crude sleeping area in a spaceship. Its size as big as a Republic transport. _Hera would've already started a riot if she was here._ I thought. Not just because she was a spaceship fanatic, but also she despises slavery as much as I do. The only thing is I don't have her cunning personality.

We were blindfolded when we were brought here. And I only knew I was brought to a spaceship when I walked up a very long ramp with the other twi'leks. As I was forced down by the mercs beside me I heard my people scream out in pain. But before I could figure out what was causing so much pain to the other twi'leks, I felt a painful burn on my neck. My muscles were practically on fire and I had no idea what was all that about. "Ow! Hey!" I shrieked. But as I yelled, I felt another scorch hammer down my back.

It was an electrostaff, one that's even more painful than the whip owned by my family. Mostly used against me.

I felt something forcing its way into my neck wound. I could tell it was some kind of chip, probably capable of tracking or self-destruct. Either way it was up to no good. "Run, and you go boom." A droid-like voice snickered. So it was for self-destruct. Now I've got one more bloody problem to solve.

My blindfold was finally pulled off by a mercenary, revealing the true face of where I was held. The room was dark and dank, with the mercenaries' electrostaff as the only illumination. In front of me was a series of bunk beds with only a steel plank. It was obviously meant for us.

Surprising I was picked out of the group, along with five other twi'lek girls. We were taken into a narrow corridor leading to six isolated rooms. I was glad to have a room for myself, as I really needed some time and private space to think about my life.

I lied down on the bed made out of rugged cloth inside the room. The room reeked with body sweat, but it was the least of my concerns at this point. I was completely worn out, and ashamed of myself, of not taking my future seriously when I could.

An hour has passed since I entered this room, and it was so quiet I could hear it if anyone happened to pass by my room. The only noise I could hear was a low hum coming from inside the walls. I noticed the ground seems to shake every once a while, but I didn't pay much attention to that.

I realised the ship I was taken to was well on its way to another distant planet. And right when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the door hissed open, and a shadowy figure marched to me. I gasped in horror, but before I could scream for help, I was pressed down on my bed by the figure.

I found out what the figure was trying to do when I felt his leathery skin on mine. Some weequay intended to use me to satisfy their physical needs. That's when I felt my inner thigh burn in pain. It was also when I hated high rollers even more. While I was abused by that weequay mercenary, the thoughts I used to think flashed in front of me. Why didn't somebody do something about slavery?

Then I realised, I was somebody.


	9. Chapter 9:

Ion

"And that happened? But I...I thought they tend to be kidnapped!" I couldn't believe my ears. An official system for the export of slaves? Oh, how the once peaceful nation has fallen. "They don't have to now." Numa sighed. I felt bad for her people, but what happened to her just made me feel a lot more bitter, more that the worst moments in my life. I was a free man even in those times. I had no clue how it felt like to be used as a tool. "So I had to fight back." Said Numa.

Flashback mission

"Fight For Your Life"

22:10:14

Numa Bril

Aboard the pirate ship Voodoo

My thigh hurts like hell, and there was no sign of stopping of the that weequay. My core was probably going to get infected after all this, but I had no time or room to worry about that. I wanted to get him off me, but I just didn't have the strength to. All I could do was cry out in agony.

Anger seeped into my skin, along with hatred and the fear already in me. I can't let this go on. I remembered Hera saying something about a die hard heart. As much as I wanted to live a little longer, it's not worth the price. Not today. Now is my time to run. It's do or die.

I noticed a blade holstered in the weequay's back pocket. And with my last reserve of strength, I drew it from his pocket and stabbed him as hard as I can. The weequay vomited and choked in his own blood, and his heartbeat ceased.

I pushed his body off me and panted in relief. But I was not out of the woods yet. I have about two hours before someone comes to wake me up. I searched the body of the weequay for weapons and proper clothing. Unfortunately all I found was a DL-44 blaster, and the blade I used to put an end on the weequay mercenary.

As I headed for the door, I looked backed at my first kill in my life and noticed a hologram on his waist, which I took from him and went through all the recorded dialogues. One of them caught my attention, so I restarted the recording and listened to every word in it.

"We're almost at Ryloth, senator Taa. The annual Reincarnation will commence as scheduled." A second voice spoke in the recording. Apparently it was Orn Free Taa. I don't know why that puppet politician had to do with mercs, but I kept on listening to it anyway. "Noted. It should be an easy year. Get it done and I assure you, you'll get paid decently." Said the senator.

I was shocked by the recording. Our rep paid mercenaries to enslave my people? I wanted to hit the pause button, but I wanted to know why, so I just let it play on.

"The money goes to the Hutts, not us mercs. All we care is your obedience." The mercenary scoffed. "I know I know. All I need from you is to ensure my well-being. Out."

I was practically torn apart at that moment, even though it wasn't supposed to be anything personal. Taa traded my people's freedom for his wealth. And the people who are close to me and I are the ones who pay the price. I hid the blade under my dress and headed for the door. But I only made three steps when all my bitter thoughts and memories flooded out of my lekku. I tried to push them back, but one sad thing came after another, and I soon fell on my knees and burst into tears.

I lay my head on the side of the wall, my tears running down my cheek like water flowing out of a collapsed dam. My life is such a mess, first I lost my parents during the Clone Wars, then I faced slavery head on, and I lost my faith in my family, for they only made my problems worse.

My sorrow of being enslaved soon turned into anger. A sense of fury raged into my head within seconds. I decided I was officially done riding the storm. As Hera's personal motto goes, people who crazy enough to think they can change the world are the people who do.

I understood the hard way that I had to rely on no one but myself. So I recalled the times when Hera's father brought me to a gun range for blaster training after a parents day. Cham only referred the session as 'training' because he was used to teach his fellow warriors in the days of the Clone Wars. I knew well this day might be my last day alive, so I wanted to make as much noise as I can. I need to let my friends know I didn't go down without a fight. I hit the switch on the door, a long hiss followed. I peeked outside and stepped out of the room when I made sure the coast was clear.

I headed back to the main area through the corridor, but before I could reach the main area, I heard another scream coming from on of the private rooms, screams similar to mine. I walked back and stacked up at the door, and slammed my fist on the door switch.

Inside was another twi'lek and a merc on top of her. Without hesitation, I aimed my blaster at the merc and fired two lethal rounds at him. The twi'lek stared at me in fear. Apparently she thought I was another merc, because she tried to scream when she first saw me at the door.

I covered her mouth and gestured her to keep quiet with my other arm. "It's okay. I'm here to help you." I whispered. She panted in relief as I finished my sentence. "But the others will hear you!" She said.

"It doesn't matter to me. You can stay if you want, but you must know you're trading all your freedom for a few minutes of safety if you do so." I replied confidently. The twi'lek hesitated for a few seconds before nodding her head. "All right. Stay strong. We'll fight our way out of this ship." I said.

"My name is Xira. What's yours?" She asked. "I'm Numa. Take his blaster and comlink. We're going to need it." I answered. "Where's the energy cell of this gun? I can't find it anywhere." Asked Xira.

I looked at her with a surprised look on my face. How does a twi'lek with formal combat training end up in a slave vessel? "How do you know it's missing?" I said. "My commander taught me that. His name is Cham Syndulla."

"Hera's father? I don't know him personally, but I sure trust him." I said as the two of us walked slowly along the corridor towards the main area. Xira frowned. "Don't mention Hera." She grunted.

"She did something to you?" I asked, confused by her statement. "She did wrong by everyone. Left Ryloth because she wanted to explore space." Said Xira angrily. My jaws dropped. As much as Hera wanted to leave Ryloth, she wouldn't do something like that. It wasn't rational.

But I didn't want to say anything that would risk angering my new partner. I simply headed to the end of the corridor with Xira and started killing every mercenary we can see. Many tried to resist, but with the fight moves Hera taught me, I fought them off taking little hits from them.

Some of the slaves who were still awake looked at us, as if we just came back from a brave adventure. The rest were woken up one by one. One of them pointed me and said. "You differ from us, from all of us." I looked at her, a little bit surprised of what she said about me. "How so?" I asked. Xira placed her hand on my shoulder and said. "Because you don't wait shit out. You fight them. It's a long lost virtue."

"That's the first compliment I've heard in years." I sighed. I didn't grow up like any normal children across the galaxy, I grew up hearing threats of slavery, and nothing else.

But so did the others. And they're counting on me and Xira.

"Remember what the grown-ups said about discipline? Well, I want you to forget all of it. Now's the time to fight for your freedom." I said. "Time won't solve your problems, it will only consume you. What truly makes you free is your will!"

"If I'm the only one that chooses dying freely over living as a slave, so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one." I continued. Seconds later one twi'lek raised her arm, another followed, and one after another the twi'leks got up and raised their arm as high as they can reach.

"We'll take the bridge and fly this ship straight back home, or wherever you desire." Said Xira.

"That can wait. Let's kill." Suggested one of the twi'leks. "Very well then. We'll start from the armoury." I said with a confident grin on my face. The crowd and I marched towards the lower levels of the ship, where the crew quarters and the armoury are located.

Some of the mercenaries were drunk and drifted along the corridor. Xira and I cleared out the drunkards while the rest cut open the doors to the armoury. One by one the rooms were cleared by the vengeful twi'leks behind me, and soon there was no one left to beat up in the lower levels. All that's left was the crew inside the bridge, oblivious of the riot going on just under their noses.

I tapped Xira on the shoulder and she looked at me. "There should be some escape pods on this ship. And every twi'lek has their own destinations. What if we let them take the escape pods and fly this ship back to Ryloth? I reckon uncle Syndulla could use an extra armed ship." I suggested.

"It works, but I doubt if there are enough escape pods for so many people. Besides, ships like these are always overloaded when they're smuggling people like us. There's never going to be enough." Answered Xira. "There is a way though. We try to recruit people to the Free Ryloth Movement." She continued.

"What's that?" I asked. "Some anti-slavery resistance?"

"Anti-slavery is only one of the many things the Free Ryloth Movement does. It fights the Empire, and everyone that introduces oppression to Ryloth." Replied Xira.

As she continued to introduce the Movement, I went through everything I hated. The stress of discipline and slavery, wars going on and on right on Ryloth, and that the senator our people elected turned against us for wealth. I then realised, every last one of them has something to do with the Empire.

I raised my head and looked at Xira after I pieced everything together. "Hell, I'm in then." I said. Xira smiled and patted me on my left shoulder. "Cham will be happy to see you."

"Let's go clear the bridge." She continued.

The two of us headed inside a turbolift in the ship, which led us straight to the bridge. I checked my blaster, and so did Xira. "Get ready." The turbolift went slower and slower and eventually stopped. The only thing that was between us and the mercs was the door. "For a free Ryloth." Said Xira.

She hit the switch of the door. The mercs inside turned their attention to us. I pulled down the trigger as many times as I can, and soon half of the crew were cut down. The rest ducked behind the two holograms in the bridge, with some returning fire at us.

I moved to the left of the bridge, trying to outflank the remaining mercs. I saw four piled up behind a large holoprojector. I aimed my pistol at them and fired about a dozen of shots at them. One by one the mercs fell, and Xira managed to clear out the rest.

A few more twi'leks joined us at the bridge. One went up to Xira and said to her. "I heard that you are a member of Cham Syndulla's movement. We want in too."

Xira grinned, and gestured that their request was accepted with her lekku while I was reading the status of the escape pods on the ship's computer. Almost half of them were already jettisoned, and one after another, the remaining escape pods flew off the starboard of the ship and disappeared from sight.

Only seven stayed on the ship, the ones inspired by our actions and (probably) persuaded by Xira. "All pods away." I announced as the last escape pod ejected from the ship. "Let's get ourselves back to Ryloth. Setting coordinates for hyperdrive." Hera taught me that too, when she somehow salvaged a nav computer back home. She plugged it to her power source at home and showed me everything that can be done by that pile of wires and data chips.

The roar of the engines grew louder and louder. Soon the ship was at optimum speed and travelling in hyperspace.

Reality

Ion

"What the…"

I was totally shaken up by Numa's past. I always thought fighting for freedom was rough, but it turns out that fighting your way out of slavery was far worse. Both of us were standing, and I couldn't help but stare at Numa's sad eyes. I was compelled to say something to her, but I remembered how bothering my mother used to be when she couldn't stop babbling in my ear. So I embraced her, without saying a single word.

"I know. It's why I...Ion?" Numa said in surprise as I threw my arms around her. She looked shocked for a few seconds, but gradually she smiled slightly and lay her head on my shoulder. After a few more seconds I looked at my watch, there was still a few minutes before I have to go back up to the cockpit and jump out of hyperspace. About half a minute later I broke the hug, and we both headed up to the cockpit of the shuttle.

I sat down and looked at the nav computer. About time to pull out. "Approaching Geonosis in 5...4…3...2...1…"


	10. Chapter 10:

Author note: Whose POV do yo want to see besides my OC's and Numa's? Please leave a comment on what you think. This chapter is inspired by the game Titanfall 2 by the way. Thank you and enjoy the next chapter.

* * *

"Built to Kill"

Day 15-20:00:00

Ion

3km south-west of unknown Imperial Foundry, Geonosis

The planet of Geonosis was far more broken than anyone of us has expected. Instead of hearing roars of the native creatures, the rotten carcasses of Geonosians were all over the planet surface. I sure wasn't interested to find out why, and Numa was dead certain the Empire was responsible.

After long hours of observation and recon on a hilltop near the foundry, we decided to knock on their door during night time, where our dark shirt and rough armour will render us nearly invisible.

"Just so you know, this isn't Ryloth. We have to stick together." Said Numa as the two of us headed down the mountain and towards the main entrance of the foundry. The Empire made it look like an ordinary quarry on purpose, but we both know that there's more than just a few miners on this site. "Make sure you still have the suppressor I made. We're going to need it." I whispered. "Still there. Hasn't moved since I installed it." Replied Numa.

We slid our way down to the bottom of the hill for the last few meters and dropped behind crates of mining tools. "Stay out of the DP's spotlight." Numa reminded. "So we're going to blow up all the tibanna fuel for the machines here? Shouldn't we look at what exactly they're building?" I suggested. "We should. If we don't get to blow up this place, at least we can spread the word to some other rebels." Answered Numa.

"Two imps coming from your right." Numa said as two beams of flashlight approached our hiding spot, just far enough not to blow our cover. "Here. Use this blade. I stole it from one of the imps when we hit the spice mine in the Jixuan desert." She handed me a stormtrooper knife with a blade at least seven inches long. "Too bad it's still running today." I commented.

We creeped up the two stormtroopers as they passed by us and stabbed them from behind. Within seconds, the stormtroopers stopped breathing and became dead weight. We dragged them behind the crates, where it would take a month for the other guards to find. "Go left. It's darker over there." I said. We ran towards a hollow transport container, where we could stay out of sight. As I sprinted towards the container, a Mining Guild worker strolled out. He spotted me almost instantly, but was knocked unconscious when I kicked him back inside the container.

"Problem solved." I said when I crouched and measure his heartbeat to make sure he's dead. And indeed he was. My CQC skills are improving. "We still have to walk a bit down if we want to get deeper into the facility. Unfortunately we'll have to take the long road." Said Numa. I looked back and grinned under my skull-like mask. Another chance for me to teach her something. "Unless we rappel down when no one's looking. The watchtower on the other side of the quarry is going to be an obstacle. Can you take the guy out?"

Numa glanced at me with a smile on her face. She already set up her DC15A on the side window of the container. "Hey. I told you I'll make a sniper out of myself one day. Back at my hometown." I nodded in response, reassuring her. "I'm counting on you then. See you down there." I headed outside the container and fired my cable into the walls. Once I made sure it was safe to jump, I leaped off the wall and down towards a vault door.

As I made my approach, I noticed two sentry droids watching the door. At the same time, I looked up at the watchtower that could've exposed me. The glass was shattered, and the stormtrooper inside lay dead, with his rifle hanging off the edge of the tower.

I grinned and drew my sidearm, where I could hold it and use my knife at the same time. I aimed on one sentry droid, and with two well placed shots, I pierced the sentry droid's data brain plating and made it fall to the ground.

The other sentry droid turned its head and noticed its companion lying on the floor. It tried to raise the alarm, but before it could, I stabbed my knife into its exposed circuits at the back of its neck. Seconds later the sentry droid shut down, and I placed it down carefully to create less noise.

"Numa, you're clear to come down. Make it quick." I whispered and aimed my rifle at the nearest stormtrooper I can see, just in case. "What are these droids? They look a lot tougher than any of the droids I've seen." Numa asked as she rappelled down the wall.

"I don't know. But I do know they're specifically made for defence purposes. The Empire even stationed some of them at the spaceport in Hong Kong." I answered, recalling the day I left Earth for Ryloth. "Where is Hong Kong?" Said Numa. "Didn't I tell you before? It's my hometown." I replied.

I pulled down my thermal visor and scanned every detail beyond the vault door. I saw lines of red and orange moving slowly in front of me, with probe droids hovering past my visor every two or three seconds. "Shit! Now I know what this place is. It's a factory. No wonder there are sentry droids everywhere. There's probe droid presence inside too." I whispered.

"Damn…then this place is not built for organics like us." Commented Numa. "And more difficult to shut down by just blowing up tibanna cans. We'll have to set off a reactor or simply disrupt the processing line by blowing up the weak spots. Like the second battle of Geonosis." I suggested.

"That is if the reactor is even within this facility. We need to pull the schematics of this place. Better find a terminal once we're in there." Numa said as she pulled out some utilities in her backpack. "Get ready for breaching." She said to me.

I drew my rifle and aimed it towards the vault door, fingers on the trigger. As the door hissed open, a probe droid appeared from nowhere, but luckily it didn't see us. "Let's go." I said. The true face of the foundry revealed in front of us as we dashed into the vault door. There was a series of platforms on our left specifically for organics. But the rest of the structure were all assembly lines. Not just sentry droids, but also other machines that were for the Imperial Army.

"Yep. It's much more that just a quarry. Sentry droids, walkers, RTTs, ordnance...you name it. The biggest weapons factory in the galaxy is factory Alpha, this place is probably next in the line." I commented in awe. "Speaking of factory Alpha, when are we going there?" Numa asked with a grin on her face.

"Dunno. But we're bringing that place to the ground when we do." I answered. "There should be a terminal along the assembly line. Better hurry before another probe droid comes." I continued as I ran down the stair on my left. "How is it that you seem to know so much?" Asked Numa. I'm not too surprised to hear that, since with her family stressing her out with slavery, there's really nothing useful she can do. "I make use of every field trip in the old days. They have factories on Earth too, just a smaller scale." I replied.

"Look. I think I see a terminal we can access. Over there." Numa pointed at a console on the other side of the gap. The console was only 20 meters away from us, but there was an abyss and several rows of non-stop assembly lines between us and our objective. "And how are we supposed to get across? Onto the assembly line?" I asked in confusion. "Hey, you said it. Not me." Replied Numa. I looked around for an alternative, but unfortunately, our luck is running dry today. "Here's hoping I can reach the top of that belt."

I leaped off the platform and extended my arm. My chest slammed against the first assembly belt, but I managed to get a solid grip and mantled on top of it. "Better move quick. These belts move pretty darn fast. We might get separated if we don't be careful." I pointed as I hopped from belt to belt and onto the platform with a console on it. Standing there was another two sentry droids and a carbon black protocol droid.

I launched myself at one of the sentry droids, causing it to be disorientated. I then drew my DC-17 and shot both of its eyes, rendering it inoperable. The second sentry droid stared at me with its angry crimson eyes, but it was tackled by Numa before it could get a clear shot at me.

The sentry droid recovered, and launched its left arm at Numa, trying to punch her. While Numa was fighting the sentry droid, I twisted the protocol droid's head off its body. I threw its head into the abyss below and looked back, just in time to see Numa kicking the sentry droid's head, destroying its data brain. "I'll watch your back. Numa, plug into that console." I said to my friend. "Man, I'm getting cramps just trying to hit that sentry. Imagine what it's like when they're mass produced." Commented Numa.

"Tough grunts, right? I mean even a handful of them can strengthen the Movement." I replied with a fake smile on my face. Numa is right, these sentries are probably twice as dangerous as the B2s during the Clone Wars, but they aren't exactly the smartest of all either. We'll need another program if we want them to last.

"Alright, done. That took me some time. Check your hologram." Requested Numa. I pulled out the disc-shaped device from my harness and activated it. Almost instantly a blue three-dimensional map of the factory appeared on top of the hologram. "The reactor is at the end of the assembly line. It's gonna be a long ride. Wish I had a jetpack with me." Numa sighed. "Heh. That reminds me. The Empire build them on my homeworld." I said casually, in contrast of the tense atmosphere we're in, mostly because we could be crushed by some mechanical limbs or shot by droids.

"We'll have to do it the hard way. No other options." I continued along an alley on the platform that followed the assembly line, Numa was right behind me. But a probe droid appeared in front of us before we even made it halfway to the other side of the alley. I held up my rifle and fired a short burst into its red eye, penetrating through the droid and sending it to the blocks of pool filled with molten lava below. "Let me take the lead. You don't have to do the shooting all the time." Suggested Numa.

I was far from tired. But since she asked, there was no reason to reject her offer. Besides, I'd be thrilled to get out of the factory as soon as I can. "Sure. Just make sure we're going the right way. I'd hate to fall into the wrong hands, again."

"So do I." Said Numa.

The two of us made it to a large platform with multiple floors. I couldn't really see what's waiting for us, since I was watching Numa's back. But as soon as I heard gunfire, I had to turn around. "Contact! Sentries are all over the place!" Shouted Numa. I noticed two sentry droids on my left and fired another few bursts at them, one managed to withstand the laser bolts, while the other staggered, but eventually got back on its feet. I aimed my rifle at the crippled sentry's head and fired again. This time its data brain burst open like a watermelon, and its body collapsed to the ground.

"Aim for the head if you can!" I shouted as I advanced towards the remaining sentry droid. Its cannons unloaded a cluster of red bolts at me, forcing me to duck behind a supply crate. As it stomped past my hiding spot, I jumped up and strangled it, allowing me to throw the droid off balance. After a few seconds of struggling, I finally managed to pull off the droid's head with brute strength and got back on my feet.

Numa and I both advanced towards the other side of the large platform, unloading rounds on the half a dozen of sentry droids as we moved forward. I glanced at my friend and saw her utilizing a downed sentry droid as a shield. I crouched behind her and fired a volley of blue laser bolts at the sentries' heads. Some were direct hits, while the rest were either misses or not enough to take down the droids.

I fired again on the nearest sentry and didn't let go of the trigger until it fell on its back, sending off a loud clang. I rushed up the stairs while trying not to be spotted by the remaining sentry droids. As I made my way to the second floor, I saw another sentry droid shooting at Numa less than five meters away from me. But I must've been making too much noise, because it turned its blaster at me less than a second later.

I ran up to the sentry, barely missing its shots. I grabbed it's right arm and slammed my head against its data the droid was tougher, and I nearly smashed my thermal visor in the process. Somehow it wasn't just programmed to shoot at organics, it flung its left arm and sent a fist of steel into my face.

My sights became blurry and I fell to the ground. I sure was glad the shock didn't knock me out on the spot, but now I was at the mercy of the sentry's cannon, and I was going to lose consciousness any second.

Before I blacked out, I saw blue and crimson flying in all directions. I just hope that Numa can make a stand and keep herself alive for the betterment of her home.


	11. Chapter 11:

"Thrawn"

Day 15-20:38:22

Ion

Imperial facility, Geonosis

"Ion? Ion!" I felt a pair of hands shaking my body violently. I got back to my senses and saw Numa staring into my face. "I'll live." I groaned as I lifted her hand off my shoulder and sat up. "Where are we now?" I asked weakly.

"Inside a storage room. They haven't found us yet. Can you..." A old and deep voice from a loudspeaker on the ceiling interrupted her. She drew her DC15S and tried to identify the source of the bass voice, which didn't take long.

"Whoever is screwing around in my factory, I admire your skills. You're doing great, for two junior teenagers." Said the voice. All of a sudden I lost all my thoughts on how hurt or tired I was. And it was replaced by thoughts of fear. "Is that Thrawn?" I asked.

"Indeed. Can you walk?" Asked Numa. I got back on my feet and shook my head a bit, trying to shake off my fatigue. "I can fight." I replied. I saw two backpack-like objects hanged on the walls. I took one down in curiosity and scanned it. It had a curved white plating on both sides and a small thruster in the middle of the plating, and it was even smaller than my DC15. It was the latest jetpack brought out to the public, which started a viral through the social network when it wasn't banned by the Empire.

"Is it just me or is it a jetpack?" I asked. "It is a jetpack. Lucky us. But its armour is weak. It's only for maintenance purposes." Answered Numa. "It will do for now. But I'd save up the fuel inside whenever I can." I commented as I mounted the jetpack on my back. And when I did, I heard a loud bang on the durasteel door of the storage room.

"Looks like they're onto us." I said. "There's a vent in here. You go first. I'll leave something for them." I noticed Numa holding a handful of thermal detonators in her hands. "What, are you trying to do?" I grabbed her by the hand, thinking she was going to do something stupid. "Relax. They're trying to breach in, right? Well I'm thinking we should leave them a few...explosive presents."

As soon as I finished processing her plan, I jumped up into the vent and helped her up once she finished planting the charges. In less than a second, I saw the door flying across the room, putting dents on everything that got into its way. I closed the vent cover hurriedly as sentry droids and stormtroopers pooled into the room. Numa whipped out the detonator and hit the switch once we're both clear of the blast zone.

I was checking my hologram when I felt the ground beneath me shake violently. Groans and screams of grimace followed. "To the right. It'll lead us to down to the foundry levels. It's gonna get us closer to the reactor." I whispered. As we crawled our way to the other end of the vent, I couldn't help but think of the distinct voice we heard in the storage room. I wonder what is Thrawn doing here.

I told myself I was not going to fail to some trigger-happy admiral, who sees killing as an art. I always despised people like that.

After ten minutes of crawling and sliding, we finally reached the lower levels of the facility. The temperature was boiling, and the air around us glowed in red like a Sith lightsaber. "Alright. It's to your right. And don't fall. It can melt you." I said. "I can see that." Numa grunted. "Can't wait to set this place off." She continued.

"Damn right." I replied and proceeded along the platforms and pipelines, watching the overhead structure carefully to make sure nothing falls on our heads. For some reason the sector we're in was full of manipulator arms instead of lines of droids and tanks. I soon found out why when I saw one of the manipulator arms carrying a deactivated vulture droid. The factory didn't dig out rocks and turned them into machines they wanted. They demolished old and outdated droids, and made new ones. No wonder they say cherish your life by not joining the Rebellion.

But in the Movement's view no droid is outdated, and we need to make use of everything we can get our hands on. I couldn't worry about the old droids now, for I still have a mission to finish and a report to write to complete both of our trials.

We were only two kilometres away from the reactor when I heard the same recognisable voice through the loudspeaker somewhere in the facility. "Boy, your perseverance has proven to be greater than most stormtroopers under my command. Waited for 18 months to escape your home, and with no assistance other than yourself. Interesting." It's Thrawn again. And he's trying to mess with our minds.

"Oh, and don't think I forgot your girlfriend. How different she is, from the rest of her people." Thrawn continued in a rather evil voice. "Gobi and the rest of the vets are gonna have me murdered if they hear this." I groaned, annoyed by the mind tricks Thrawn was using on us.

"I think he has a sense of humour, considering he's an Imp." Said Numa. "Ha, very funny. You don't know what they're going to do to me. Only men do that." I replied, watching out for probe droids at the same time. "There's a turbolift at the end of this alley. We need to hurry." I continued.

"Yeah. Especially when Thrawn's peeking into our biography and watching us." Commented Numa. Thrawn's broadcast didn't stop there. It just went on and on as we walked through the facility on high alert. "You, your dreams were neglected by your family and you were forced to dance...in exposing clothing. Must've been embarrassing for you."

"What...kind of a recording is this?" I stammered. But right at that moment Thrawn set off a bomb on my comlink, which I modded to attach with my headset in my downtime. "I am not a recording, Mr. Ion. And out of my respect to you and your crush, I'd rather just stop here. Good luck."

 _Good thing he said it through a private channel. Or I would've been screwed over._

At that point my heart rate was accelerating like a podracer. If that madman can read my mind AND has his eyes on me, I'm not going to last long. On the other hand not everyone gets to worry about problems like this one. A lot of people don't even get to live their lives the way they want. Duty comes first. I kept saying to myself.

The turbolift reached the mid-levels of the facility. The doors slid open, revealing a squad of stormtroopers standing at the exit. Numa and I went guns blazing, sending the stormtroopers falling over and to their doom ten storeys below.

"Only a mile to go! We can make it!" I shouted as the two of us sprinted along the platform towards the large deployment area in the distance, where it will lead us to the reactor. With our newly acquired jetpacks, we were able to ignore some of the sentry droids and move on.

We were only less than a kilometre away when we encountered a wave of over 15 sentries. Thrawn wants us caught bad. Crates and sandbags were littered all over the place, making the fight a lot trickier. I started off by shooting at three sentry droids hurriedly, knocking out two of them and crippling another. Numa got up close to a fourth droid and fought it up close and personal, rendering the sentry droid as a living shield.

I took cover behind a pillar and peeked out, aiming at the sentries whose weren't shooting at me. I gunned down another one, but several of them shot at me and I was forced to stay behind the pillar.

I moved to another angle, trying to find an opening. Two sentry droids were mindlessly firing at Numa's position, which I took out with a few bursts on their heads. But soon laser bolt were coming from the other side of the abyss as well. "Watch out! Multiple probe droids!" I yelled.

"I can see that! Engaging!" Replied Numa. She blew open one of the probes and forced the others to scatter. I peeked out again and targeted an unlucky probe, sending it down to the molten lava below.

I knew I couldn't get to the overpass above us by stairs. I'd get shredded if I do. So taking a deep breath, I jumped off the platform and hovered up above the remaining sentry droids with the help of my jetpack.

The sentries fired at me, but I dodged the crimson bolts effortlessly and returned fire when I stabilised myself. The droids fell one by one, and about a minute later there was nothing shooting at us beside the stormtroopers and the probe droids across the gap.

"Leave them. I doubt they'll get us." Said Numa. As we raced towards the sunlight pairs of sentry droids tried to stop us, but with our recently acquired tricks on handling them, they didn't bother us for long. I was more concerned of getting outwitted by Thrawn than those dumb piles of metal.

But we're not alone at the deployment area, walkers and hundreds of ground troops were already waiting for us. I noticed a nu-class shuttle in the distance, ready to be demolished and rebuilt into the Imperial's war machines. "We'll have to leave in that shuttle. I'll go get it, you plant the charges!" I said.

Numa nodded and sprinted off into a doorway. Surprisingly the stormtroopers didn't fire on us, and instead they let Thrawn broadcast a message to us. "Looks like it's clear that you're no quitter. It's also clear that your journey ends here. You may choose to surrender, or die with your friend. The choice is entirely yours." He said.

I sighed in defeat. The times I didn't have to spend on schooling were surely short-lived, but hey, I made it count didn't I? I just need to make a state of the official. "Before I make my decision, I need to ask you a question. Do you find turning billions of kids into mindless droids fun? Huh, do you find that fun?" I shouted furiously to the walker broadcasting Thrawn's message, letting loose of all my bad memories.

"You judge a musician by its ability to kill innocents. You judge an actor by his ability to dig out rocks from the ground. You judge me, a runner, by my ability to finish a test paper. No wonder the galaxy is full of idiots! Including every last one of your 'stormtroopers', who can't even shoot straight!" I continued, each sentence louder than my last. I wasn't just blowing off some steam, I was also trying to buy Numa some time to rig the reactor.

"And why, the bloody hell, does everything we work for, goes to the Emperor and not to those who actually worked hard? What's the point in that?" I asked. The stormtroopers looked at each other, and even Thrawn appeared to be speechless. All of a sudden I felt a tremor below me, and I noticed the walkers struggling to keep themselves balanced. I couldn't waste this opportunity to run, so with no time to waste, I jumped off the large platform and flew towards the nu-class shuttle without looking behind.

"Please tell me you're on your way out!" I shouted anxiously through my comlink, dodging the deadly laser rounds from the walkers that would obliterate me in a single hit. I didn't dare to look back, and all I could do was fly my way to the shuttle as fast as I can.

There were only a dozen of stormtroopers guarding the Nu-class shuttle and the rest of the droids and spacecrafts to be demolished. I reduced my speed and hovered above them, slow enough to allow me to pick them off. "Look out!" "On your left!" They frantically screamed as they fell one by one. Eventually all the stormtroopers were shot dead or unconscious, allowing me to commandeer the shuttle.

I raced to the cockpit and checked the fuel bar, which was half full. Certainly enough for me and Numa to get away from this meat grinder. I warmed up the engines and fired its weapons at the assembly platform in an attempt to throw the ground forces off balance. I know doing so is gonna cause Numa problem to get in, but letting her face half the Imperial Army wasn't an option either.

I unloaded volleys of laser rounds onto the platform with the shuttle's cannons, but not without notifying Numa about my intentions. She was reluctant to have her exfil in midair, but at last she decided to take her chances.

I noticed the ceiling of the factory fall down piece by piece, passing by just meters from the shuttle. A flash of yellow caught my eye on the far right of my view. It was Numa, flying out of the reactor chamber. I opened the cargo ramp and manoeuvred myself just close enough to catch Numa without crashing into the debris falling from above.

Seconds later I felt the ship shake violently. I couldn't tell if it was the imperial forces shooting at me or Numa boarding the shuttle, so I anxiously yelled at the comlink, hoping Numa would reply. "2-2, where the hell are you? These imps are really pissed!" I waited for seconds on the edge of my seat. I heard clangs from behind me growing louder and louder. My instincts took over and I drew my sidearm and pointed it towards the back of my seat, even though I knew it was empty.

"Ion, I'm in! Get out of here now!" I heard her slamming her hand against the side of the aircraft. I yanked the joystick backwards, and flew past the walkers and infantry.

As we left the atmosphere with several TIE fighters in pursuit, I caught sight of a giant silver ball, apparently in orbit of Geonosis. In the centre of the planet was a well-carved dent, an artificial one. "The hell are they building on this moon?" I asked.

"I don't think that's a moon." Numa stammered. "It's more like a space station."

I didn't like it. I've seen more than one WMD in my life as a student and what they're capable of. Orbital bombardment was one of them, and I'm almost certain this was ten times worse.

"Well...time to go." I selected Ryloth for the nav computer to calculate the jump to hyperspace, and seconds later the shuttle was travelling at light speed, leaving the Imperial fleet behind.

"Better get our asses back home to tell them what we found." I said to Numa nervously. But as I finished my sentence I heard a sigh behind me. "I doubt there's anyone to tell." Replied Numa. "Look at the Holonet."

I looked off my shoulder and stared at Numa's hologram sitting on her palm. Broadcasting the news was the same annoying reporter as always. "...after hours of hard fighting, our emperor and his right hand man have finally fought their way to safety after eliminating hundreds of rebels on Ryloth. An addition of two battalions will be deployed to Ryloth to ensure the safety of its people." My jaws dropped in horror and sorrow. I didn't know if we caused the massacre, but one thing's for sure: there's no home to go but space.

"In other news, a fault in the Geonosian factory has caused several projects to be delayed…" The broadcaster continued. I gazed at Numa in surprise. That piece of news should said a whole different way if the reactor went off.

But there's no room for me to give a damn right now. I had to assume that we're all that's left of the movement. "Damn...But I don't have anyone to call or any plan at all. Any ideas?" I asked in defeat, for I realised I pooled in all my brainpower and resources to get to Ryloth, but come up short. I didn't even last a month to be honest.

"Truthfully, no. It's no longer conducting ops like you think. It's survival." Whispered Numa.


	12. Chapter 12:

Ion's phone

Private message received: -.- .. .-.. .-.., - - .-. ..., .-. ..- -..., .-.. . ... ... ..-, ..-. ..- .-.. -.-. .-. ..- -

Translation: Kill, Mors, Pub, Lessu, Fulcrum

"Nightlife"

Day 20-21:33:42

Ion

Unknown pub, Lessu, Ryloth

Objective: Kill Delian Mors

Drunk stormtroopers and officers were all over the streets of Lessu, the only city on Ryloth that is considered a decent place to be. They were celebrating the victory against us, while my blood's boiling for a fight with them. But I had to hold myself back. Mors was the priority, and the person responsible for the events of the past two days.

Word got out that the only other person that had power over Ryloth, Belkor Dray, was killed by the Movement while Numa and I were hitting the Geonosian factory. So that's one less assassination mission for us, and one less a-hole in the galaxy.

I don't know where was that private message from, and I certainly don't know if I should listen to it or not, but it's not like I have a whole lot of options. There was only one bar that Mors would want to go to, this wasn't from Fulcrum, but from Cham Syndulla himself. And that's where I'm waiting like a predator, waiting for a chance to pounce.

Numa sat beside me. She left her rifle and her backpack in the Nu-class shuttle we stole from the Geonosian factory. She lay her head on the table with her eyes barely open, apparently spamming her mind with her memories.

I never really thought about having a relationship, not until Thrawn hacked my comlink. I didn't dare, because I wasn't about to waste my money on buying another person some useless perfume or jewellery.

But Numa was a whole different case. We tell each other a little about ourselves or judge senators together every time we sat under the sunset, and she was tough AF, even when I think about her personality seriously.

I can't say any of this out loud, though, not until I'm ready. Besides, duty comes first than anything. Especially right now.

Too bad no one survived the massacre. I'm gonna call my friends the first chance I have.

Numa sat up and rubbed her eyes. "That bitch here yet? Can't wait to slit her throat." She grumbled. "No. Just some random bucketheads stopping by. You'll get your chance." I replied in a sleepy voice. For the record, I've only been up for forty hours straight for once: the factory assault.

"Wish I could lay some hate here and now." Complained Numa. So do I. I thought. But the mission is first priority. So I couldn't do anything more than patting her on her right shoulder.

Out of nowhere Numa grabbed my shoulder plate and shook me violently with both her arms and lekku, leaning her head against it and groaning under her breath. I giggled slightly at her reaction, it was sad, but kind of cute at the same time.

She finally released my arm after some twenty seconds and lay her head on my shoulder plate. But that's when something caught my eye.

A few stormtroopers entered the pub. Some of them weren't even wearing their helmets, but I guess their top brass was too happy to care about that. One of them strolled towards my table, his cheeks so red I could tell for sure he was drunk.

"Hey, bro!" He said, throwing his right hand in the air. "I gotta...ask you this, but...why is your slave armed?" He pointed at Numa, laughing, the other followed. He just made a very wrong move. I thought. I heard Numa sigh and shifted her view to the ground and not wanting to see the stormtroopers, but at the same time, I quietly drew my sidearm from my right thigh, waiting for the right moment to make them regret what they said to my friend.

Seconds later, I became a berserker rather than a sane human being, shooting at the stormtroopers and smashing them into tables and on the floor. About half a minute later, the squad was reduced to nothing more than a bunch of whining and groaning individuals. I gave no attention to the other people staring at me, and simply paid for the damage.

I noticed an officer making a run for it. It was Mors. "After her!" I yelled and bolted out the front door, my fists as hard as steel. Most imperial officers are known to be extremely idle, and apparently Mors was no exception. I was only delayed when a squad of stormtroopers stood in my way on an intersection about 100 meters away from the pub. I lost sight of Mors, but I managed to gun down two of the five stormtroopers. The other three tried to shoot me, but were also taken out when I circled around them and shot them with a short burst.

As I continued into the street Mors ran to, my comms crackled to life. "Ion! There's squads of probe droids overhead! Watch yourself you parkourer!" Yelled Numa. "Noted, you little biter." I said as I sprinted along the street, hopping over parked speeders and carts like they didn't even exist. I was gaining significant ground, unlike the op in Nabat. But the resistance was even heavier than Nabat. So heavy I though I was in a restricted military zone.

But soon I noticed the buildings becoming shorter and shorter. And I found out why when I got to the roof of one and glanced ahead. I was approaching the Lessu spaceport, but so was Mors. And if she gets to a ship, this whole would be for nothing and we'd end up on wanted posters very soon.

I was interrupted when I was shot by something from behind. I turned around and saw an angry probe droid staring at me. Apparently it was caught up in the chase and couldn't decelerate on time, which allowed me to grab its arms and toss it down onto the streets.

I followed her to an open street, where the spaceport was dead ahead. A wave of stormtroopers poured out of the front gate and fired at me. But I was sprinting and jumping like I was in a hurdle competition, so they weren't really a big problem.

I was already behind them by the time I couldn't go any further at full speed. I drew my DC17 and shot Mors in the back with a single bolt, who was about two yards away from the spaceport gates.

The officer struggled for a few more meters before falling to the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind her. The stormtroopers caught up with me and unloaded a cluster of laser bolts at me, forcing me to go prone on the edge of the roof.

The stormtroopers used whatever cover they could find down below, even civilians. I returned fire, but not without recording the battle by putting my phone at the edge of the roof, filming every dirty move the Empire used.

I targeted the imps with hostages first. I switched my pistol to stun, just in case I didn't get every shot right. But then more problems came hovering towards me. The probe droids opened fire, putting a scorch on my shoulder plate in the process.

I leaped off the roof and took out one in midair. Another stormtrooper was waiting for me below, but was a problem no more after putting a few shots on his armour.

Then the rest went bonkers, with some trying to tackle me and the rest shoving a civilian speeder at my direction. Things were going really bad, since the street was leading downhill towards the busiest spaceport on the planet.

I blasted one imp that was charging at me. Another two leaped at me and left me rolling down the slope. The rest of the stormtroopers and the speeder followed, along with three more probe droids in the night sky. Mors was still crawling her way into the spaceport, but every stormtrooper in the area was either busy trying to finish me or hiding from me, leaving her all alone.

The stormtroopers who sent me rolling down the street were now exposed, allowing my instincts to target them first. Frightened by my stone hard resolve, the probes and the surviving imps lost their cool and did their best to fire as many round as they can on my position. But they were poor shots, much like the first few times I got into a skirmish.

I didn't want to blow up the speeder though. Collateral damage was to be prevented the best as we can, under Cham and the veteran's restrictions. So I had to do it the hard way, by taking out the probes and troopers out one by one, not quite the same as a video game, but similar.

The probes were easy targets, since their programming restricted them from taking cover. Their debris landed on the stormtroopers and made them lose their grip on the corpulent speeder, leaving it rushing down the slope and speeding towards me.

I didn't need anyone to convince me it was their fault to wreck a civilian speeder just to kill a single rebel. So without a second thought, I lowered my body and rolled rightwards, allowing me to finally take out the three stubborn imps.

I panted in relief, glancing at the stormtrooper corpses and the wreckage of the probe droids. Knowing I took on possibly a whole platoon of stormtroopers, I marched to Mors confidently and flipped her around. I pointed my pistol at her face for a final send-off. "When you get to hell, tell them the free men and women of Ryloth sent you there."

Despite recent losses, I felt like a badass after finishing Mors. With both her and colonel Dray dead, there would be no leadership for the Imperial forces on Ryloth, and they would be thrown into chaos. If Taa steps out and takes over, then we will be able to just kill him without damaging our reputation. But still, it was a loss for both sides, since if no one survived the massacre, then all that's left of the Free Ryloth Movement was us, and the contents of our Nu-class shuttle.

"Finally!" I heard a young voice shout behind me. "Ion!" She shouted. It was at this moment I realised I stole her kill. She's gonna kill me. I thought. A shroud of flashbacks of Goll's talk with me flew past my head. I remember him telling me how she kicked the vet's asses during an MMA training before I was here, and how I know her to hate big spenders like Mors. She always wanted to score a kill on one of these people, but I just happened to take it.

I could almost tell Numa was going to have a fit. She glanced at Mors' body and shifted her attention to me. All thoughts of glory and vengeance were gone, and my heart sank as she stared at me with a very evil smile.

She finally broke the silence after standing there for some half a minute. "I've grown up too. Ion. Since when do I care about who I kill?" But I was just too frightened to response. "May I?" She changed her subject and reached for my balaclava.

I was quite surprised to hear her asking me to show my face in the middle of a war zone. But since the area was clear for now, I decided to take my chances for a few moments with her. I reached for the cheek of my balaclava and pulled it down, stretching the eyehole and revealing the lower half of my face. The rest was covered by my headset and dark glasses. Numa slowly placed her left hand on my face and without warning, pressed her lips on the other side of my face.

I nearly gasped. I had no idea why she did that, but I was happy, for sure, and unlike the other short and good times I had back on Earth, this bundle of joyfulness was going to last. My life with depression was finally over.

Numa started strolling to the spaceport where Mors tried to escape, but not without calling out for me. "Come on, you rogue! What's up with you?" I exhaled and looked back at her. "Huh? Oh I'm fine. Coming." I caught up with her moments later, and the two of us headed for our shuttle in the spaceport, victorious.


	13. Chapter 13:

Author note: D4L1 is a data processing droid that served in the Free Ryloth Movement during the Galactic Civil War. By its name I think it's an astromech. Please do let me know if I'm wrong about it.

* * *

"The Final Frontier"

Day 20-22:11:45

Ion

Lessu spaceport, Ryloth

The Nu-class shuttle was right where we left it, without a scratch or a group of bucketheads next to it. We headed inside the shuttle and caved in for the night. As we did so, we discovered a very pleasant surprise, from Xira, a member of the Movement I don't know personally. But Numa does. And she was thrilled to find out there were survivors too.

She was contacting us through the shuttle's on board hologram. I patched her through, and a blue image emerged from a glowing circle on the dashboard. "Good to know you're all in one piece. I've got a briefing for you guys, but general Syndulla wants a word with you two." Announced Xira.

Numa and I looked at each other. None of us, or possibly any person with common sense, liked a private message from our superiors. But now was not the time to worry about that. "Alright. What is it?" I asked.

Soon the image of Cham took Xira's place. "Thought you two went down with my men. Glad you didn't." Stated Cham. We both nodded in response and his face turned grim. "People, let me make our situation absolutely clear. Our operational men power is cut from 200 to just 7, including D4 and you two. Now, I wish we had a proper ceremony for this, but you two are now officially part of the Free Ryloth Movement." He continued.

"Our first priority is to hit the Empire first before they wipe us out entirely. Thanks to your efforts and Fulcrum's info, The leadership of the Imperial forces here on Ryloth is also at stake, and we now have an opportunity to rebuild our strength." Declared Cham. A set of schematics marked as classified appeared in front of us. "This, is Delian Mors' private estate. It's also home of her personal bodyguards, along with a considerable amount of weapons and V-wing fighters. It's located on Gryphon, Ryloth's largest moon."

"And this mission, I warn you, is likely more dangerous than any of the Movement's past operations. Do not, underestimate zero gravity. We'll assemble on Chimera and grab every munition we have left. Any questions?" Continued Cham. "No sir." We replied in unison. "Well then good luck. See you in space."

The hologram went off, and I plopped down at the pilot's seat, plotting a course for the third moon orbiting Ryloth. "So we're officially in the team." Numa said as she powered up the shuttle with the switches on the dashboard. "We get to carve our names on the walls."

"Affirmative." I replied simply, not wanting to lose my focus. "Let's go upstairs." The shuttle lifted off the ground and accelerated into the night sky slightly polluted by the bright light from the streets below. Our altitude went higher and higher, and before we knew it, we were outside the atmosphere and drifting towards Chimera.

"Minimising power consumption." Announced Numa. "The last thing we need out here is to get caught." She said. "By my patriotic parents." I joked. My family was no longer a source of all evils in my point of view now, it was nothing more than a bunch of dark humour. Nothing will stop me now. Not even Saxon, the old drill sergeant that caught me in the spaceport.

"Well fuck me man. I got a whole village after me." Returned Numa. I stared at her in awe. _She rarely speaks that openly. My bad habit of swearing must've taken a toll on her._ "Negative. This will violate Terran laws." I replied, intentionally tuning my throat to a robotic voice. Numa chuckled and patted my shoulder in response. "No seriously, I can't do this to you." I said with my normal voice.

"Let's just get ourselves down there." Said Numa. We're only about 15 kilometres away from the Movement base on Chimera by then, and that's where we landed our craft half a minute later. We headed out the shuttle with every last piece of our gear. Cham, Gobi and another twi'lek were already waiting for us in the landing port,The twi'lek was wearing a pirate coat and a combat vest, with a pair of pilot trousers and unpainted clone boots.

"That is Xira. I met her when we took over the Voodoo." Introduced Numa. She embraced Xira as she walked up to her. "Hey you. Glad you're still in one piece." Said Xira.

"Who's your boyfriend?" She asked. My face went crimson as she finished her sentence. I understand how Thrawn was smart enough to read my mind, and how Gobi has gone through a lot in his life. But now even a thirty-ish twi'lek knows I want to start a relationship. It's creeping me out.

"Hey that's enough for him, you gossiping nomad. We have a job to do." Gobi interrupted and pushed a crate filled with spare energy cells and tibanna cans to us. Several breathing masks were also placed on top of the munitions. Apparently we're taking the craziest approach we could imagine.

"We have an update on our attack on Mors' estate. A light cruiser orbiting around Ryloth is going to pass by Gryphon, so unfortunately, you can't take your shuttle. We'll never get past their guns." Said Cham.

"That's where the zero gravity comes in. As much as we can go with the shuttle, we have to get outside vacuum space at the final stage and work our way into the base."Gobi chimed in. That's when I remembered our jetpacks. We only have two, but that's probably already enough for our op.

"Sorry for interrupting, but we can't just leave the cruiser roaming around. What are we gonna do with it?" Pointed Numa. "We're going to steal it." Xira announced. I looked at her in surprise. The Arquitens-light cruiser I know can house at least a hundred infantry. "And how do you intend to takedown a ship with hundreds of men?" I asked in doubt.

"We'll plant EMP mines outside the ship. Everything on the ship will be knocked out, including gravity. They we're gonna board the ship and take over it." Xira pointed at me.

"Should we worry about your jetpack?" I asked. "I've got my own. A Z-6. It's an older model, but it'll hold." Replied Xira. "Once you secure the cruiser Numa and I will assault the complex. You'll also have to destroy the anti-air defenses on the ground when you take the cruiser."

I did my best to go through her plans without short circuiting my brain. I nodded in response after I finally understood what she intended to do. "After that, go weapons free. Use any means necessary." Xira finished.

"Get your masks. We gotta go." Ordered Gobi as he pushed the crate into our recently stolen shuttle with a little help from me.

15 minutes later…

Gobi, Xira and I sat on the seats in the passenger compartment of the Nu-class shuttle, with breathing masks on our faces and jetpacks laid between our legs. "Approaching infil point. Prep your jetpacks. Check your masks. Stand by for decompression." Broadcasted Cham.

"Check." Returned Gobi. Xira followed, and so did I after a quick inspection of my mask. The cargo ramp made a loud hiss and lowered, revealing a small asteroid field between us and the light cruiser miles away. "Speaking of jetpacks, we really need to nick some after this." I commented. "Focus on the mission. We'll drift our way there. Be patient, it might take a while." Said Gobi through his comlink.

I fired up my jetpack for a second, and so did Gobi and Xira. I glanced back to the shuttle and saw its ramp closing. "Good luck out there people." Said Cham. "Same to you guys." I answered as I drifted towards the field of asteroids with Gobi and Xira.

"We'll stop at that asteroid." Xira pointed at a relatively large asteroid close to the light cruiser. Luckily, it was only a 400 meter drift from where I am, which wasn't too long for a boring float trip. "Copy." I replied and adjusted my trajectory with my nimble jetpack.

The three of us were on our way to the large asteroid when a patrol of two TIE fighters flew past us overhead. I couldn't hear the slightest bit of their iconic roar, since I was in a zero-gravity environment.

Seconds later, Gobi gestured the all clear with a handsign. It was a straight path to the rear of the cruiser, where its reactor is located. D4 made a beeline for the cruiser with its rocket engines on its legs and rear end, while the rest of us slowly drifted towards the cruiser, looking out for any more patrols.

"I'll look out for any maintenance crew. Tell me when you're done with the mines." Requested Xira. Gobi and I both gave her an OK sign before accelerating towards the cruiser's thrusters. And before we knew it, we were leaning against the exterior of the cruiser, in a perfect position to plant the mines.

"Hurry up soldier." Ordered Gobi. He was already at the rightmost engine and planting his package. I followed by pulling out the cylinder-shaped mine and pressed the timer to one minute. The entire procedure was static, and everything I do out here just seemed so eerie instead of being pure adrenaline rush like all my other missions.

"It's done. Let's get to a safe distance!" I stated once I was done with the mine. I pushed myself away from the cruiser with my foot and stopped about a stadium's length away, far enough to keep me from being affected by the blast. I noticed Xira in the distance, gesturing me that D4 has done its part. "Gobi! We're good to detonate! On your go!" I barked through my comlink. "Fire in the hole!" Yelled Gobi after a few seconds of silence.

There wasn't any noise from the blast either, just a giant ball of blue and white fizzing along the exterior of the cruiser. Seconds later its engines quieted down and stopped glowing. "Cham! Green light on ground assault! Go!" Gobi shouted through his comlink. Soon the shuttle flew past us just a stone's throw away and towards the moon.

"To the bridge! Let's go!" Ordered Xira. I turned my jetpack to full blast and throttled towards the bridge. The anti-air turrets on the cruiser rotated and aimed at us, but didn't fire. The officers inside were wearing their breathing masks. Some were struggling to get a clear shot. As I floated up the bridge I saw the officers inside frantically trying to restore power and finding the source of the blast. One of the officers noticed us, and staggered away from his post.

I placed a grenade on the glass of the bridge while Gobi and Xira waited behind me. The officers figured out what we wanted to do and backed away, terrified. But not even that could save them from being sucked out from the broken glass.

"Everyone in! I'll close the shutters, Ion! Activate gravity." Ordered Gobi. I nodded and thrusted myself towards a terminal. Shattered glass and data pads from the officer bodies floated in front of me. I then turned the gravity back on once Gobi closed the shutters and restored life support, allowing us to fight without wearing masks.

"I'm activating abandon ship protocols. Hopefully the imps down there will buy it. D4, I need you here to help me with the weapon controls. Ion, you go clear the ship with Xira. Go!" Said Gobi. I nodded and bolted down the stairwell leading down to the main and secondary hangar with Xira close behind me.

A squad of stormtroopers just happened to be on their way to the bridge through the stairwell. But after a few kicks and shots fired from my rifle, we rendered them dead or unconscious.

The only area left crawling with imps was the main hangar, where a Lambda-class shuttle and a squad of four TIE fighters were parked. Surprisingly, none of the dozens of stormtroopers or maintenance crew noticed us standing right at the end of the doorway of he stairwell. I took aim at the closest stormtrooper, and shot his head once Xira signalled me she is ready silently.

After that all hell broke loose. Half of the imps were arguing about the abandon ship protocols Gobi and D4 just activated, and the other half were shooting at us with whatever firearm they could reach. It didn't take a jedi to figure out none of them spent any time in the firing range, their aim was just all over the place, putting holes that weren't even close to us(at least I think so).

But still, I didn't want to waste my ammunition on some lowlifes like these. Not in this fight. "Gobi! Can you open the docking hatch in the main hangar for five seconds? The one for the Sentinel transports?" I shouted to my comlink. "Shouldn't be a problem. But I recommend you to hold on to something!" Answered Gobi.

"Xira! Strap yourself on to something solid!" I threw her the nearest rope I could find and strapped myself onto the handlebars on one side of the walls, ignoring the stormtroopers trying to shoot us. "Gobi! We're good to go! Do it now!" I yelled again after we both wore our breathing masks.

Seconds later the hatch hissed open, slowing dragging and taking everything in the hangar out into deep space. Even the crates didn't escape the carnage. And in a few second's notice, there was nothing left on the ship but us and three TIE interceptors housed between the cruiser's front prongs.

Soon gravity and life support came back, after Gobi and D4 recalibrated the controls. "Gobi, can I trust you with D4?" I heard Xira ask, but I was putting my attention on the fighter's docking hatch. The TIE interceptor was probably the only fighter in the Imperial navy that wasn't cheap crap. And I was seriously thinking if I should fly one or not.

"Of course you can. Why do you ask?" Replied Gobi through the comms. I glanced off my shoulder and saw Xira heading towards the fighter docking hatch as well. "I'm thinking we should get down there with those fighters and give the general and the kid's girlfriend a little breathing room." Suggested Xira.

I sighed. Cham and his men, always looking for little gaps to make fun of outsiders.

"I'm listening, guys." I returned in defense, but Gobi interrupted me before I could say anything else. "Good idea. Godspeed out there. I'm patching you through to Cham and Numa." Announced Gobi.

Soon frantic chatters and gunfire filled my ears. I could tell they were having a hard time down at the moon base. "How's it going down there?" I asked as I headed to the TIE hatch, as Xira intended to.

"Still breathing. But the Nova troopers are giving us a lot of trouble! We could use some air support!" Exclaimed Numa. Xira gave my shoulder pad a hard slam and pointed at the fighter hatch with her lekku, telling me that it was time to fly down to the moon estate.

"Alright. I'll be here in a TIE. Watch your fire." I replied as I climbed into the front most TIE interceptor.

This fight is about to go to a whole nother level.


	14. Chapter 14:

"Dogfight over Gryphon"

Day 20-23:31:56

PFC Ion

Above Gryphon, Ryloth's largest moon

Free Ryloth Movement

My fighter and Xira's accelerated past the speed of sound as we flew further away from the INS(Imperial Navy Ship) Plateaa, the cruiser we hijacked half an hour ago. As we made our approach, I noticed black figures and blue dots flashing from their backs, the Nova troopers Numa was having a hard time with.

I don't know much about the Nova troopers, other that none of them are poor shots like the majority of the imperial army. But I'm not too worried either, since I was facing them in a well-equipped TIE interceptor.

I'm just praying I don't have to face another fighter head on. The last time I fought in a jet fighter was in video games. I was practically shredded, and I haven't flown a fighter anywhere since, except the time I ran away from Earth.

As the two of us sped towards the moon estate, I started regretting climbing into the eyeball of this TIE. As much as the TIE interceptor was armed to the teeth and even more agile than a helicopter from my world, it didn't make it less fragile that any of the TIEs in the imperial fleet.

Right now I kind of blame myself for wasting time on memorising the function of mitochondria and finding the area of a triangle instead of spending it inside a public simulation pod. I'm willing to bet if I spent my money on that instead on piles of pointless textbooks, I would have already beaten a whole Imperial fleet.

But there was no time for concerning, I still have a pack of Nova troopers and a squad of V-wings to deal with. The anti-air defense was busy dealing with our hijacked warship, so it was just me and those Nova troopers.

I took a look at the life form scanner on my fighter and noticed a group of Nova troopers gathering at the only hangar of the estate. I was going to just blow up the hangar, but then I realised that was where the V-wings we desperately needed were parked, so it was not an option.

Instead, I fired amy six cannons at a weak spot at the side of the hangar. The V-wings were too heavy to be pulled out, but the dozens of Nova troopers were sent flying out of the breach. By then the enemy force was cut down to a half, safe enough for me to get my boots on the ground.

But just when I was about to jump out of the cockpit and into the hole I blew, my radar went wailing. Enemy fighters just took off from Ryloth's surface, and I'm willing to bet they're really looking forward to blow me out of the sky.

I was able to eavesdrop on their comms since the fighter was stolen, but that didn't help much, other that allowing me to hear the enemy pilots mocking Xira and I. "Alright, standard flight op guys. Take out some slaves and we'll be home in no time." One of them said.

I hate flying in a fighter jet, but I hate imps like these even more. I made it my mission to cross them off the galaxy, and that's what I'm gonna do. I looked at my radar and banked left, where a squadron of five TIEs were waiting for me and Xira to show up. She was nowhere to be seen, but I was too busy to ring her up. The enemy fighter were already firing at me.

I did a barrel roll and managed to take only a hit. The hostile squadron scattered and used every way they could imagine to try to take me out, but I was still standing. Eventually one got careless and was about to fly past in front of me. And without a second thought, I lit up my six cannons and blew holes into the TIE.

Parts flew out of the damaged TIE and gas was leaking from its rear. I shifted right and followed it closely, putting more and more dents onto in until it exploded in a while fireball. I must've pissed off the rest though, because every two seconds a cluster of green lines would fly past me and rock my fighter.

I had to huddle the moon surface to keep myself alive. Two of them followed, while the rest broke away to engage Xira's fighter. And right when things couldn't get any worse, my missile alarm went off like an alarm clock. Several automated torpedo tubes caught sight of me, and their AI computer decided I was a good target.

A group of three proton torpedoes hurtled towards my fighter. I barely dodged the leading one, and turned left sharply before the turbolasers have their eyes on me as well. I set my fighter into an endless spin, hoping the two torpedoes would follow and eventually collide into each other.

My fighter never exploded. The coast was clear. Now it's just the TIE fighters. "Stubborn one. Time to introduce you to gravity!" A pilot grumbled and lit up its cannons, forcing me to bank sideways. "Somebody get these TIEs off my back! They're killing me!" I yelled desperately, hoping someone out there would give a damn.

Meanwhile...

PFC Numa Bril

The estate op was more troubling than I expected, especially the Nova troopers guarding the facility. It seems like everyone was having trouble handling the Empire after the massacre. Even Ion was shouting and swearing over his comlink.

I wasn't far from the controls to the anti-air defense. I knew if I could turn them against the imperial's TIEs, I could save my people flying dangerously out there, and myself from a battering scolding from Cham.

"Looks like they need a little help up there. The controls for the anti-air defense ain't far away. Maybe we should take it down first." I suggested while returning fire at a squad of Nova troopers.

"The hangar isn't either. I'd very much rather take to the skies with them." Replied Cham. I guess there's no point arguing. All I could do was aiming at the Nova troopers and gun them down the best I can.

I finally managed to take one out after some three minutes of mindless shooting. And in that rate Ion and Xira are going to be space dust by the time we get to the hangar. So without even thinking twice, I mantled on top of the supply crate we were using for cover and picked off another two Nova troopers.

"That's three. Another ninety something to go!" Said Cham. As I continued to fire at the Nova troopers I saw one of them sprinting at me. But before I could turn my rifle on him, I was struck down by him and lay flat on the ground.

He tried to aim at me and finish me off, but I managed to kick his blaster away before he could hold down the trigger. After that it was the roughest fistfight in my life. Every time I think I have the upper hand he would do something fancy, and I'm back to a square one.

At one point I was hit by a solid uppercut and a fist close to my left earbud, setting my left eye out of action and sending me falling to the ground on my back. I had no idea what was the trooper wearing on his wrist, but it sure was capable of causing a massive trauma. I couldn't see very well, but I could feel the violet blood running down my cheek. Somehow I wasn't taking more shots or punches. Cham must've kept them busy.

I reached for my DC17 holstered on my right thigh and tried to figure out where the rest of the Nova troopers were, but trying to shoot straight with only one operational eye was easier said than done. And without a proper sleep(six hours, that's all I need), I was having problems to even lift my arm.

Damn, it hurts.

Back to PFC Ion…

I was lucky to still be alive. Five minutes of dogfighting in the skies was much longer than five minutes of ground assault, and I was experiencing it firsthand. Xira was still in the fight, and she has already shot down one of the TIEs after us.

For some reason Gobi was completely ignoring me, probably why I'm having so much trouble just shooting down two fighters. But right now I'm too frustrated to blame anyone. I need to put those fighters on ice.

One went past just in front of me. It was going too fast for me to shoot, so I decided to tail it and look for an opportunity. "Not bad slaves...but I'm better." The enemy pilot taunted. But I wasn't in the mood to listen to BS, I knew I had to shoot it down while I still can.

The fighter in front of me banked right sharply, right towards the hijacked light cruiser. And that was the end of it. It flew right into the line of fire of the cruiser's turrets. I didn't even have to shoot it. I heard the remaining two pilots panicking on how they lost three of their comrades all of a sudden. The tables were turning.

By now there was nothing left of the anti-air defense down on the surface of Gryphon. All that's standing in my way was the last of the TIE fighters. Seconds I heard yet another pilot yelling his last words as his TIE exploded, followed by Xira's excitement.

I noticed the last pilot trying to flee from the battlefield, but it was no use. It was already hovering around the centre of my targeting systems. I pulled down both triggers on my two joysticks. The tip of the interceptor's wings lit up like a Christmas tree and emitted waves of green lines.

The TIE frantically drifted sideways in an attempt to shake the cannon fire, but I wasn't about to let it run. I did my best to copy its every movement, with my fingers holding firmly on the trigger without even thinking of letting go.

At last the TIE spinned out of control and exploded into oblivion. The skies were finally clear, and almost instantly I hailed the general through my comlink. "General, the skies are clear. All AA batteries are accounted for. Are we clear to land the cruiser?" I asked as I smiled slightly under my breathing mask. It always felt good to win a tough fight.

"I don't know what you did, but I'm not seeing any imperial reinforcements. You are clear to land. And hurry, Numa's hurt badly and I can't stop her bleeding." Replied Cham. I almost cursed under my breath out of horror. Gobi briefly told me how badly hit was the movement, and they can't afford to lose even one men right now.

Besides, an underground society was formed in my school back in the old days, which I was part of. They taught me how to be a rifleman and a medic at the same time, and I figured there's no better time to use that skill than now.

I landed my TIE interceptor in the hangar as quickly as I can, while leaving some space for the cruiser to touch down later. I bolted upright and flung the cockpit hatch open. "Good timing. We can use some help." Greeted Cham. Without time to waste, I hopped off the eyeball and rushed to her side with a piece of cloth from my improvised medkit, one of the several tools in my backpack.

And right behind the landing gear of a V-wing was Numa, with her left arm and face soaked in her own blood. My jaws dropped as I caught sight of her wound, at least a whole inch wide. "Shit..." I firmly pressed the cloth onto her wound, the only thing I could think of doing.

Normally I would use a bandage, but imperial reinforcements were well on their way to hunt us, and that fact just made my time limit to fix her wound even shorter. I had to improvise, and I had to do it quick.

She was drifting between consciousness and probably couldn't even hear me swearing as I strapped my gun sling around her forehead. "Gobi, have you finally landed the cruiser? We need an exfil, like ASAP!" I shouted anxiously. Xira rushed to my side once she got out of her TIE interceptor. "How bad is...oh by the name of..." She stammered, after seeing the horrifying amount of blood Numa has already lost.

The bleeding finally showed signs of stopping after like a hour or so. I know my mind likes exaggerating, but a minute of trying to save a life was definitely no walk in the park. Eventually the cruiser landed in the hangar with a deep clang. With an extra hand from Xira, I slipped my soaked hand under her armpit and lifted her up.

While Cham was busy setting the V-wings to autopilot, I was struggling to keep Numa steady. After a long three minutes, our job on Gryphon was finally done, with a squad of V-wings and Numa out of action for a time I couldn't even guess. With her incapable of fighting, I guess I'm not either, since I was the only person alive in the Movement that knows a thing or two about healing wounds.

Now I gotta figure out what to say to her after she wakes up.


	15. Chapter 15:

Author note: I'm in need of ideas. Any suggestions or constructive criticism are welcome.

* * *

'A Quiet Moment'

Day 21-00:43:36

PFC Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

Crew quarters, INS Plateaa

After another tiring hour the INS Plateaa has finally reached our headquarters in the Tann province. Thankfully it wasn't already occupied by Imperial forces. But there were plenty gathered in Lessu, and it's going to be a major problem for all of us.

The weight of my eyelids were only increasing overtime. Even Cham himself was urging me to get some sleep, but there was no way I'm gonna do that. Not until I know she can stay conscious without me having to keep her awake.

I've seen more than one soldier in the frontline die because of falling asleep without treating their wounds properly, and I wasn't about to witness it firsthand.

My low stamina and Numa weren't my only concerns. I haven't taken off my gloves for a solid month. And if I didn't do that when I was combing the ship for a proper bandage, I would've already had parasites on my hands.

I know treating Numa's wound in a private room was a bad move in the vets' standards, and Xira and Gobi are never gonna let me hear the end of it. If I'm correct, those people were itching to see a love story between me and her, and that alone was throwing me into a mental conflict.

Out of my instincts I reached out for Numa's neck to check her pulse, but with only my bare hands. It was covered by her black shirt, so I had to pull the collar down to get a reading.

Her lekku twitched slightly as I pressed two of my fingers against her vein. She blinked weakly, and tilted her head to find out what was on her neck.

"Hey." I whispered.

Numa didn't say a word. She simply smiled in response. The sling on her forehead stretched, and reminded me why I was staying awake beside her. I reached for the bandage I found in the storage room and placed it on her bed. I was too tired to say another word, so without saying anything more, I untied my sling and ripped off a piece of the bandage to replace the stained cloth.

"Aren't...you...tired?" She asked with all the energy she could muster, but I was too focused to fix her wound, and didn't answer her question until I secured the new dressing on her wound.

"Not an excuse to leave you bleeding." I replied while I was wrapping the bandage around her head. "Your headdress is right there, by the way." I pointed at Numa's white headdress, the one with two black stripes on it.

"Gobi told me you..." She paused when she had to cough. "...Terrans aren't fond of non-humans." Said Numa. Her sentence reminded me of the movies Hollywood used to make about mankind fighting against aliens, before the time our planet was discovered by the Empire.

"More or less. So?" I replied.

"So...aren't you afraid of us...or me?" She asked. Now that made me hesitate a bit. Sure, I am a little scared of the twi'leks when they first tried to recruit me, and when I had to report to Cham. But I'm more like nervous when I'm working in the frontline with her. No person on Earth I know has ever worked with an alien before, and I was probably one of the very few.

But I didn't care. Besides, people tend to be afraid of me as well, thinking that I'm mentally abnormal. "No. Not you." I simply replied.

Numa twitched her eyebrow in response, apparently she was wondering why I thought so. "Why?" She asked, crossing the tips of her lekku.

"You're...you're different." I said as I finally finished wrapping the bandage. "How so?" Said Numa as she tried to sit upright, but was stopped when I pressed my hand against her forehead.

"I don't exactly know how to describe it," I sighed. "but...in a lot of ways, I see some of you in me. You don't know how precious it is to have a friend like this." I replied and got up off my knees. My legs were almost numb by then. But that didn't matter, with her able to stay there on her own, I could get as much rest as I need.

"I don't know about that." Answered Numa. She didn't sound as tired as she was two hours ago.

"Just don't move around. It's kind of fragile." I advised, referring to her bandage. I walked out of her room, not wanting to think of anything about the Movement's future. I just want to look for a cabin to sleep in.

I took one just across her room. And as I lay down my gear beside my bed piece by piece, I thought of all the questions clouding my mind. Who is Fulcrum? And what am I supposed to do tomorrow? After all there's only six guys left, including Xira's astromech.

If it was up to me, I would've already gone and crashed a V-wing into Palpatine's office and fought my way off Coruscant. But then again, things have changed, and I'm no longer a thing in limbo like I was back in school. My life actually meant something, and I couldn't think of a logical reason to give that up, especially not when I have friends that might need me.

I decided I'm going to have an answer to all my doubts after I get a good sleep. So I lay flat on the bed, with the same clothes I wore on the battle of Gryphon.

Five hours later…

I was finally woken up by the siren ringing from my phone. Cham made it clear I had to wake up at 06:00, regardless to the time I start sleeping. Apparently he needed every operable man to do another suicide mission. Numa was already out of action, and that makes only 4 guys.

I guess I gotta expect solo missions, since there's just too many things we need. But for some reason I felt like I needed to talk to Gobi before I go anywhere. He's witnessed all kinds of relationships within members of the Movement, how they jeopardised operations or saved lives, and how people recovered from utter sadness because of it. And despite the fact I could just ask anyone in the Movement for advice, Gobi was pretty much a pro when it comes to relationships.

Suddenly a bump to the head shook me out of my doubts. I looked up, and saw an old and broad figure in front of me. "Something in your mind, soldier? You're acting off." He grumbled, annoyed by my lack of focus. But in my defence, it's not an easy job to handle duty calls and privacy when I'm branded as a criminal by the authorities of Earth.

"Yes. I'm afraid so." I said, not wanting to cause any more trouble. "Are you free right now?" I asked.

"You can say that. But uh...Cham's got a job for you. It's a long term one. I don't know what he's up to, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I briefed you on behalf of him." Gobi answered and waved his hand, gesturing me to follow him. "Let's talk in the mess hall. Nobody else should be up so early." He continued.

"There's still some coffee left over there if you need some." Gobi pointed at the table at the far end of the room. "Thanks. Do you need some?" I asked, while grabbing a cup from the stash of refreshments. "Nein. I'll do without it. Monster suits me better." Answered Gobi.

"Wait a minute, you speak German?" I asked in awe and surprise. Earth was considered as a developing planet and was an isolated world until discovered by the Empire a year after their formation. So the fact that Gobi knew German just sounded ridiculous.

"German? Nah. Not fluent. I haven't got time to practice." He replied sadly and the two of us settled ourselves at a table near the windows, where we could see half of the entire Tann province. "Have you handed in your report yet?" Gobi asked with a sly smile on his face. Catching newbies off guard was one of his favourite activity, if setting up potential couples don't work.

"Huh? Oh, right, damn it!" I exclaimed. "I haven't put the video log in it yet!" I hastily whipped out my phone from my pocket and opened my after action report of the Geonosis infiltration. When I first came some vets told me its operating system wasn't compatible with the ones used by their datapads, so while I was gone to takedown the outpost with Gobi and his detachment, the rest of the vets figured how to allow me to use my phone to write my trial reports.

"Alright, done. It's in the general's mailbox." I stated after sliding and pushing buttons on my phone after a few seconds. "Where were we?" I asked.

"We were talking about my German." Answered Gobi. "And your erm...problems that you wish to ask me." He continued after pausing for a few seconds. "Yeah. I was going to ask about how I feel...for Numa." I stammered. I have no idea what was going on with me. Every time I mention or think of her name I start getting adrenaline rushes or fantasies(thankfully it isn't dirty), and it's impossible for me to figure out what was happening.

And this talk was no exception. I was already sweating, even though it was supposed to be winter here on Ryloth. "Take a deep breath first." Gobi suggested. Taking his advice, I managed to calm myself down. "So you either like her or you don't like her. What's the problem?" Asked Gobi, obviously not knowing he was facing a far more complicated situation, one he's an expert dealing with.

"Don't get me wrong. She didn't do anything to me." I corrected. "The thing is..." I lay my head on my fist, trying to think of a proper word to describe my situation. "Ugh. The hell with it. Let me just tell you what I feel." I sighed in defeat, after my brain gave billions of tries in seconds.

Gobi raised his eyebrow and looked at me casually, probably trying to make me feel better by clearing the shroud of fear and uncertainty around me. "That works." He replied simply.

"You know what I see when I hear about relationships? I see money worshippers trying to eat off young innocent boys. That's why I was always reluctant to even think of that." I stated, with all the courage I have. Certainly Gobi would correct me with sheer terror, right? But I have to let him know, and there was no better time than now, with no one peeping out of the corner or recording our dialogue.

Gobi's reaction was far out of my expectations. It turns out he also has a rational side, where he knows modern relationships are no longer the same as before. "Go on." He simply nodded, which did made me exhale in relief. "But...Numa's different. Not only she doesn't give a damn about money or power, she fights...for freedom, unlike any other typical girl in the galaxy." I continued.

"That's one point. So rare it's considered a mental disorder. They even have a full medical procedure for this back at the Imperial medi-center." Responded Gobi. I was totally caught off guard when he said it was a 'mental disorder'. Because if it was true, then I would've already been taken to an asylum and locked in there for life. "I'm sorry, mental disorder?" I exclaimed.

"Unfortunately yes. And you see that in yourself, don't you?" Gobi answered calmly, in contrast of my reaction a moment ago. I thought of protesting, but Gobi's right in a certain point of view. I managed to calm myself down and get back to where we left off. "It's a blessing." He said.

"A blessing?" I frowned. As much as not craving power is noble, I don't see how it's a blessing. Certainly not in these circumstances. "Yeah. Having friends with the same mental disorder as you is priceless. It's from your planet too." Gobi grinned.

"Damn...no wonder you know I'm from Earth." I said, while leaning back on the chair I was sitting on. "But let me just say I...well, okay. I like her, but it's a little more than that." I admitted willingly.

"Strange." Gobi stroked his chin, trying to determine what he was looking at. "I haven't heard you flirting, at all. Most people like you do, especially those in your age group." He pointed. I nearly choked on my own drink, since it was pretty much common sense to me that flirting without thinking twice is a horrible idea. "Don't worry, I'm not that stupid." I said to both myself and Gobi.

"I get fantasies occasionally though. And then...every so often I'd have to remind myself I'm in a military unit, and a war. And that duty comes first." Normally you couldn't use the force on me to make me say all this out loud, but all of a sudden Gobi seemed to be less of a meanie or racist, unlike most other members of the Movement, who all died in the massacre.

Gobi sighed deeply and covered his mouth, his veins standing out of his forehead. I just sincerely hope I didn't upset him, because I can't afford to screw up things right now. "You actually took all my jokes seriously?" He questioned with his jaws dropped.

"Define 'seriously'." I requested. But all Gobi did was covering his face and cry out in defeat. "Argh, I screwed up! Big time!" He groaned under his breath. "No way, how can it be you who infected me? I spent at least a solid month with her alone after all. But do please tell me, what should I do?" I asked. While I looked calm outside, my heart was pumping even faster than the rate of fire of a rotary cannon. I would never be able to find out how to deal with my inner conflicts, unless Gobi gives me a word or two.

"Is anyone listening?" Gobi glanced out the doorway cautiously. "No. I don't think so. But what's so secret?" I asked.

"Because, if what you said was all true, then...you do love her." It was my turn to look out the doorway as Gobi responded. I couldn't believe my ears. All those times I thought that this day would never fall upon me. But it did, and I'm a simple rookie when it comes to this sort of thing, since I never bothered to try when I was still on Earth.

"Thank almighty no one's listening. But...it's probably one-sided, and obviously I can't just ask her directly. It's straight up murder for me." I stammered, trying to clear my mind and decide what I'm going to do about this new destructive and fascinating feeling.

"No you shouldn't. And...crap, it's seven AM. I'll have to cut it short." Stated Gobi. "Love is built on three things: passion, intimacy and commitment. Think about it. Come and find me if you have to."

"Sure thing. I'll keep all of that in mind." I returned and the two of us patted each other in the shoulder while slapping our hands together like doing an arm wrestle. "Thank you sir." I said confidently with a slight smile on my face.

Xira appeared from nowhere as we departed from the doorway, catching me off guard. "What were you guys doing in there?" She asked curiously.

I was about to answer, but Gobi interrupted me. "Nothing at all. Just got up early." I guess he thought I was gonna blow everything if I answered, and I can't say it wasn't a logical assumption.

As we walked outside the doorway, Gobi gave me a nod, and I returned. For now, this is strictly between me and him. And I'm not telling anyone else until I get the green light.


	16. Chapter 16:

Author note: The 'massacre' in this story refers to the events in Lords of the Sith,

* * *

'Green Run'

Day 25-14:32:54

PFC Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

Mos Espa, Tatooine

Our names were finally carved on the wall of the war room. With official ranks and our last after action report handed in and approved, Numa and I were sent to Tatooine to recover two MIA Movement operatives, Goll and Faylin.

Numa's wound has finally been stabilised. She still kept the bandage on her head(after I bombed her for some hundreds of times), but other than that she was ready to go once more.

I wasn't expecting more human teammates like Faylin, and Numa said the same. She was also surprised that Cham allowed me to embark on an espionage mission with her without any vets tagging along, but in my point of view, it's more like Cham allowed her, not me. He was always a racist, and he would rarely trust me when it comes to lives at stake.

Right now we were inside a random cantina, listening to Fulcrum's info that would help us find the two lost fighters. After considering the odds he's facing, Cham finally announced that every surviving Movement member was allowed to contact Fulcrum, at their own risk.

"Watch yourself out there. Tatooine is ruled by both the Empire and the Hutt clan. This alone makes the planet twice as dangerous as most other places in the galaxy. Be on your guard. Fulcrum out." The deep and augmented voice finished. And with the intel Xira gave us, we concluded that the Boonta Eve would be a good place to start looking.

The spectator stand was crowded. And thank god I haven't caught sight of any slavers yet. Just half an hour ago Fulcrum told me Tatooine was crawling with bounty hunters and slavers, and that's not helping at all.

The two of us sat at the rear, where we could overlook the entire podrace. "Out of all the places in the galaxy, why here? Goll ought to know this place is up to no good." I whispered.

"True. But the Empire's influence isn't that heavy here. The Hutts run this place. And if you ask me, I'd very much rather let the imps govern this planet." Commented Numa. I wasn't surprised. The Hutts were known for having plenty of slaves and servants everywhere they go, and it's the reason Numa has a grudge against them.

The bulking Hutt made the opening speech, but we paid no attention to it. What we're really doing was scanning the audience with a facial recognition software modded and fitted inside my thermal visor, which allowed me to get a good look and high resolution of a person's face in the distance.

It also allowed me to filter people of certain species, which was the function I'm using right now. It instantly narrowed down the range, only a handful of suspects left. About two dozens of them, with half of them being slaves or servants of who knows what.

Most of them were on the other side of the stand, far away from where we're sitting. I toggled my visor and enhanced their faces, but none of them matched Goll's face. After fifteen minutes of frustration, Numa suggested that our chances might be better if we searched the rest of Mos Espa.

While I was scanning the streets for a match, Numa was guiding me and making sure I didn't run into anything. We were only halfway done when Numa's hologram vibrated by her hip, alarming her. She pulled it out and activated, trying to find out who was the caller.

A tiny caption appeared as she hit the power switch on her hologram. The caption said 'voice only' in aurebesh. No doubt it was Fulcrum. "I've got an update twi'leks. A stolen Gonzati-class transport was found outside Jabba's palace. Better get yourselves over there." Said Fulcrum.

Even though he didn't give us any more detail, we could already tell it was Goll. While I was jumping from rooftop to rooftop in Lessu, Goll was hijacking an Gozanti transport somewhere else, apparently he's looking for some cure for a disease.

"SOB. I'm gonna beat him up in the ring the first chance I get." Grumbled Numa. I wasn't surprised to hear that. I remember her swearing that she would never walk into a Hutt palace on a certain day during our trials.

But there really wasn't any transport on Tatooine, besides hitching a ride on a - or someone else's speeder. But just when we were wondering how to go from one end of the planet to the other, I felt a barrel forced down my brain.

"The Empire has put a high price on both of you. You ain't going anywhere. Reb." _Bounty hunters._ I thought.

Numa had a gun pointed between her lekku as well. I glanced to my left without moving my head. It was a Trandoshan, and a Mandalorian I couldn't tell who it is. I couldn't see who was pointing a gun at my head either, since if I try to, I'd be shot at point blank range.

Without turning back or a second thought, I drew my DC17 and fired as many rounds as my finger could take. The figure behind me fell, while the Trandoshan was having a fistfight with Numa when she pulled out her military knife from her hip, right next to her sidearm.

It was a frenzy from that point on. I was dodging desperately to keep myself from getting shot by the green Mandalorian, while the duros was firing random shots at me and wrestling Numa at the same time.

Without warning, the Mandalorian activated his Z-6 jetpack and unloaded a volley of rounds from above, forcing me to somersault across the street and into an alley, where I could take cover and figure out what to do next.

I couldn't shoot any one of them. The Mandalorian hovering above me and giving me a hard time to aim at him. And if I do try to fire, it'll only be a waste of ammo. And if I shoot at the Trandoshan I could risk friendly fire. So all I could do was wait, while keeping myself away from the Mando bounty hunter.

Eventually Numa separated herself from the - and gave me an opening. I used my DC15 and fired a burst at him, killing him in the process. The Mandalorian turned his tail and fled. We both tried to shoot him down, but none of us were good at shooting moving targets.

"Shit. Whoever those guys are, we gotta hustle." I suggested and scanned the streets in hope of finding a speeder, but the skirmish scared off every civilian in the joint, and all that's left was two dead alien corpses and abandoned dewbacks.

"But there's nothing to ride on here." Numa said while pointing her DC17 down the street, looking out for any more hunter reinforcements. Her DC15S was returned to the Movement, since most of the members became ill-equipped after the massacre.

I sighed in defeat after determining there was nothing to ride but the dewbacks. They weren't the fastest creatures on the planet, but certainly better than walking a hundred miles to Goll's stolen transport. But as we approached the creatures we were jumped by a squad of assassin droids, most likely under the command of the bounty hunters that are after our heads.

Apparently the dewbacks have seen plenty of action, as they showed no sign of running. I had to fall back to the alley to keep myself from getting holes on my vest. Numa was nowhere in sight, and I didn't have any time to worry about her, not until I pick off at least two of the IG droids.

Somehow half of the squad was carrying guns with piercing rounds, and there was no way to peek out without being shredded. I knew staying down here was no option, but there was nowhere else to go but up.

And so I did, by bridging the walls of the alley. And let me just say free climbing with an extra five kilos was easier said than done. I managed to take down a handful of them when I lay down at the roof, the rest spotted me and went guns blazing on the edge of the roof, forcing me to crawl back.

As I lay in wait, I heard the echo of a sniper round hurtling towards me. And seconds later two of the droids' circuit crackled and fizzled, and fell to the ground. The rest of the droids shifted their attention to find the origin of the sniper fire, but they couldn't react fast enough. One after another the droids were either beheaded or had their chassis pierced by sniper rounds.

The last droid fell seconds later, its eye extinguished. I hopped off the roof and saw a teal figure walking towards me proudly, priming a DC15A. "Hey nice shooting. Stealing all my kills." I commented. "Come on, can't I enjoy myself a little while I work?" Numa replied mischievously and patting on my shoulder pad.

"It's always incredibly fun to piss off everyone, right?" I snapped sarcastically. "For the record I've pissed off a whole school of grown-ups. Who gives?" She asked, trying not to giggle.

I didn't know how to answer so I just shrugged and decided to change the subject. "Talk about that later. We got a friend to save." I hopped onto a dewback and managed to tame it in no time. Numa followed, and in a moment's notice we're all set.

Meanwhile...

CT-1183 "Fulcrum"

The only person I know who has been on Tatooine was general Skywalker. And like me, being on this desolate world was a first time for most of my men. Lately I was drowned by the thoughts of the insurgency on Ryloth. I heard the battle suffered the most collateral damage of all the missions of the Empire, and believe me, I'm not happy about it.

Lately I've been having some of the strangest dreams in my life, of a rebel soldier from Ryloth. I don't know what it means exactly, but it sure did make me remember I child I met briefly on the newly found planet of Earth. He was young, and courageous. A rebellious teenager, from what I remember.

I was working with my paperwork overtime in the office of the HKIS(Hong Kong International Spaceport) when I stopped by there to meet my comrades of the 212th who have been reassigned to be stationed there. Gar Saxon was in charge at that time. He was a crazed old man, who saw joining the Empire as the only means to 'grow up'. But some kid defied that, right in front of him.

I only got a glimpse at his face, but I remember it very well, like the home screen of a Terran phone. He had a round face and wore glasses. And as much as he looks like a simple nerd, he had much more bravery to speak openly, especially when compared to a typical teenager at that time on Earth.

I don't know if my dreams were just glitches or voices of my midi-chlorians, but in those dreams, I saw that kid again, fighting to free the planet of Ryloth.

But most importantly, he inspired me to join the rebellion, in secret.

Now, I'm assisting a pair of Free Ryloth Movement operatives to find their lost teammate. There's nothing more I can do about the massacre, but I can help them, now. I just hope they got my word, because the squad sure was effective in securing a ship.

I have to figure out how to send them a warning, or lure my squad away from the ship.

About an hour later...

We made our approach to Goll's transport. I noticed footprints all around the ship, footprints that belonged to stormtroopers. "We might already be too late." I said as I hopped off the dewback. There were signs of the presence of imps all over the ship. And I'm not talking about before it was hijacked, but most recent. There were even clusters of sand on the floor, left by stormtroopers who never bothered to clean their shoes.

"Strange. No signs of firefight at all. Goll might've decided to ditch it, we..." Numa was interrupted when her comlink crackled to life. "Get to Jabba's palace. There's a lead there. Fulcrum out." The connection was terminated before any one of us could respond. Right now all we cared was finding Goll and getting off this forsaken planet, so without even saying a word to each other, we rapidly headed to the cockpit and started the ship.

Soon the transport hovered off the ground and accelerated to supersonic speed. I sat at the pilot seat, navigating our way towards Jabba's palace. Numa sat on the seat beside me, trying to raise Goll, but to no avail. We were making progress, but so was the Empire.

We have to get to the palace. Fast.


	17. Chapter 17:

"Leave No One Behind"

Day 25-16:11:13

PFC Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

Less than 500 meters away from Jabba's palace

The palace grew larger as we made our approach, revealing the sandtroopers guarding their fauna below. I transferred control to Numa and sprinted to the loading elevator, guns fully loaded. As our altitude dropped, I aimed at the first sandtrooper I saw and shot him in the head, alerting the rest of our hostility.

Alarmed by the shootout, the Gamorreans and several mercs sprinted towards the landing strip, only to find out the remains of the sandtroopers. For some reason none of them dared to move a muscle when I walked off the loading elevator with Numa close behind me. They must've been afraid of joining the sandtroopers.

We cautiously headed into the palace, facing no resistance at all. The muffled music grew louder and louder, and two Gamorreans approached us as we arrived at a stairwell. "Lower your weapon. Threatening them isn't going to help." Suggested Numa. I reluctantly agreed and holstered my rifle at my waist. The Gamorreans followed, and we walked down the stairwell to the throne room.

I gave Numa a red handkerchief to cover up her face, just in case if some idiot decided to mess with her. The room was filled with mercs and bounty hunters, as well as some of Jabba's entourage and a performing band. A green and skinny twi'lek girl was at the middle of the room, dancing to entertain the guests who paid a visit to Jabba for a payday.

I sure felt glad the spotlight was on the other twi'lek and not Numa, because I would've primed my rage mode instead of my rifle if I saw that coming. I noticed Numa frowning upon the sight of the slave girl, and at first I thought she was just having flashbacks of her childhood. "Hold it. We gotta find Goll first. He's here somewhere." I whispered.

"No it's not about that. Something about this girl just...ticks me off." She replied. I couldn't care less about her concerns for now. I was scanning the room with my visor, in hope of finding Goll in the sea of people. But the only thing even close to what I want was hooded figures sitting at the corner and apparently laying low.

That when it hit me: Goll was a hoodie fanatic. He once told me he'd buy one straight away if he ever gets a chance to do so, and he always kept a hood with him. With an extra guidance, I discreetly headed to the closest hooded figure, and crouched beside the figure without gaining its attention.

I could only see his blue chin under his hood. I couldn't tell if it was Goll right away, but asking him straight forward wasn't really an option either. My only hope was that some twi'lek would recognise my skull mask, but it seems that it's just too good to be true.

Before I could make a move, another figure grabbed me by the shoulder. "What brings you here, stranger?" He threatened, but was interrupted when a DC17 was pointed above his ear. "It was my request. Back off." The figure backed away, and glanced at his opponent. The same blue skin as the one I noticed a minute ago.

"Who do you think you are, servant?" The figure mocked, obviously another racist. "Now will the both of you just calm the..." I demanded. But before I could finish my sentence, the clamour of the crowd went down, and eventually the room was in dead silence.

I found out why when I saw my friend pointing her rifle at the slug-like Hutt. No. She just can't control her inner heroism. "You may not know this, for that twi'lek might just be another expendable dancer to you, but she's my friend, and I'm taking her with me." She announced.

I didn't know if I was supposed to sigh or follow her, but like sharing the same mind, both Goll and the figure who stopped me aimed their guns at Jabba and his crew. In a moment's notice everyone was pointing a gun at each other, with noises of taunting every few seconds.

I still had a couple of grenades with me, a thermite and another filled with rhydonium. I figured if I ignited the thermite the whole room would be thrown into chaos, allowing us to slip away.

I reached for the silver ball in my pocket carefully and hit the red switch, turning it into impact mode. And when the crowd grew hesitant and started to lower their guard, I tossed the thermite to one side of the room, nearly blinding everyone and setting their clothes on fire.

All hell broke loose right there and then. Mercs and bounty hunters blasted each other on one side of the room, and the rest wrestling each other on the other half. One lunged at me, but was knocked out when I threw him towards a table. Somehow the figure was on our side. He was kicking and punching every single one of Jabba's men he caught sight on, allowing Numa to slip past the frenzy and grab the slave by the hand.

The Gamorreans guarding the entrance marched towards us, with heavy axes on their hands. But before they could even get close to me, a volley of red blaster fire punched through their chests, sending them rolling down the stairs.

The five of us sprinted towards the only natural light source: the entrance. As we ran outside the palace more and more of Jabba's men tried to tackle us, but with some recently obtained hand-to-hand combat skills in my hands, I outmatched them all and cleared a way to the transport.

We sprinted out the front gate, but Jabba's men, and some unwilling mercs, were already waiting for us, with their fingers poised on the trigger. We're forced to scatter and duck behind crates and spaceships as they fired on us, but these mercs were no better than the imps we constantly encounter.

I peeked out from the side of my cover and shot a merc behind a pile of supply crates, who had its leg stuck out of the side of the crate. The merc fell, and was shot dead when I added another shot to its head.

I glanced to my right and noticed the figure, mowing down the gangsters and mercenaries with nothing more than a pair of Westar-35s. It was another Mandalorian, like the one Numa and I encountered at Mos Espa. Only he had blue armor with white stripes, and a breathing pack on his chest.

Another band of mercs charged at him with vibroblades and other sharp weapons, but were disrupted when the blue Mando took off his cape and swiped the mercs with it. And as they tried to recover, the Mando slaughtered them with volleys of yellow laser bolts.

The Mandalorian swiftly targeted the rest of the bounty hunters and Gamorreans, and fired a load of shots into them. Unlike us, he was doing his job with no sweat, like he was just juggling with blasters. Now I'm really surprised how the Empire took over Mandalore so easily.

As the stranger Mando and I(more like just the Mando himself) finished off the rest of the bounty hunters and mercs standing in our way, I noticed we were the only ones left out here, and Numa and the other twi'leks were nowhere to be seen. "I assume those are your friends?" Asked the stranger as he pointed at a Gozanti cruiser taking off from the landing strip.

It didn't take a genius to figure out it was Goll's transport. But as it hovered off the ground I realised I was ditched by them. I don't know why, but the sensation of me screwing up flooded up into my mind. "Oh sh...it! Why, the hell, would they do that?" I exclaimed in horror, but there was already nothing I can do.

The transport was already too far for me to contact with comms, and my hologram wasn't working properly, right at the moment when I needed it the most. I grunted in frustration, and headed to the stranger, not knowing what to do.

"Guess I am stuck with you now." I admitted reluctantly. "It does seem so. But for the record...I did by you wrong. You aren't as weak as I thought." He replied and started walking away from me and towards the last starship on the strip. It was a Gauntlet fighter, one commonly used during wars on Mandalore.

"And I'm sure you're going to need a ride, am I right?" Asked the Mandalorian. I hesitated for a second. Taking a stranger's offer was always a bad idea, from what my parents told me, but then I remembered, my parents were never to be trusted, at all costs.

"Yes." I finally answered. "To Earth."

I don't know what made me do that, but considering I was left behind purposely, going back to Ryloth was no option, not until I find some answers myself.

"Then we must hurry. I'll take you there." Replied the Mando. My head was filled with uncertainty as the two of us walked up the ramp. Hitching a ride from some of the best warriors in the galaxy? Now that's something new.

"My name is Fenn Rau, by the way." Said the Mando as he powered up his ship.

Meanwhile...

PFC Numa Bril

"Anyone seen Ion?" I asked anxiously, after noticing that he wasn't anywhere on the transport. Lubo simply sat at the back seat, trying to recover from all the events hours earlier.

"Goll, have you seen Ion?" I asked. Goll turned back with a surprisingly calm look on his face, like he couldn't care less about Ion. "Wait, didn't he get on board?" He said. "I thought so too!" I responded desperately.

"Good." I couldn't believe my ears. How is having a teammate MIA good in any way? "Because I'm done with all this shit-fest." He continued before I could say anything. "Goll what are you..." Before I could react, I was hit by a blue bolt from Goll's DC17, and I was out cold.

Back to PFC Ion...

"So what are you gonna do on Earth?" Rau asked out of curiosity. "Well it's about time my friends get dragged into some pointless tests. I've heard how they reacted when I left, and it turns out I'm not the only one who wants out. That's why I'm going back." I answered, remembering the messages I saw when I was at Rhovari with Numa.

"But you know you can save yourself from a lot of hassle if you just mind your own business. Why would you want to go there all of a sudden?" Challenged Rau.

Every person who meets me ask questions like this. I thought. Saying my ambitions were too reckless. But I am who I am, and no mind control could change that. "I'm not the only one who suffers, sir."

"Besides, a special day is coming to the Earthlings." I added.


	18. Chapter 18:

Author note: This chapter is a Christmas special. And I do hope one day we can celebrate freely instead of having to revise for exams during Christmas holidays. Enjoy the next chapter.

* * *

'A Christmas Without Exams'

Day 31-17:59:32

PFC Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

Central district, Hong Kong, Earth

Rau dropped me off days ago in my hometown, where a few friends of mine are waiting for my help. And just a day ago I returned to my old home on the other side of the city. Surprisingly my parents weren't inside waiting to spank me, which allowed me to grab a laptop from my flat and a bag of extra credits.

Right now I'm inside a cheap motel room, waiting for mails from my friend Harris, who is leading the other students who want out. They told me there were gonna take their first tests at the spaceport, where it was located around 30 kilos away from the Central district.

And as much as my hometown was polluted by propagandas and imps ruling with an iron fist, I was happy to come back to Hong Kong. No matter how bad things get here, it's still my home. And I'm ready to do something to help it.

Nightfall was coming, and so is the peak hour. The trains right now are often crowded like sardine cans, which will allow me to reach the spaceport without raising suspicion from the stormtroopers patrolling the streets and stations.

I looked at my watch, 18:00 sharp. Time to hustle.

As I headed out the motel with my keys returned, I felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow and hopelessness running up my veins. I'm pretty sure it was just my midi-chlorians messing with me, so without paying much attention to it, I headed to an underground tunnel and towards the train platform.

I sure am glad I paid extra credits for an express, because it was too costly for most people who are looking for a ride to the spaceport. But that's where there aren't stormtroopers checking on us, a feature I really needed.

By now nightfall was approaching, and the sky glowed in a magnificent hue and yellow, along with some purple high above, much like the colour of Numa's eyes.

I don't have an idea on what she and the twi'leks were up to, and frankly I'm quite mad at what they've done. Hopefully I can pull off this op without a hitch, not like the last time.

I finally got a chance to wash my army green t-shirt and desert trousers two days ago. And for once it didn't reek of my own sweat. I also got a chance to discreetly visit my friends, even though I wasn't supposed to be able to. There were far less school holidays than before when the Empire took over, and school was no different from a pressure bomb now.

I'm willing to bet the underground schools on Ryloth were about a hundred times worse though. Occasionally ideas of me crashing their party during the Reincarnation would fly past my mind, but it's gonna be at least ten months before I know for sure.

Before I knew it, I was only a station away from the spaceport. I guess I gotta expect some haunting flashbacks of 18 months ago soon. The lyrics of "Maps" continued to play from my phone, arousing my thoughts and deep feelings as the turbo train ran along the motorway towards the spaceport.

"We are now arriving at HK international Spaceport. Please exit on the left side for Terminal 1 and on the right side for Terminal 2." The same old broadcast came from the loudspeaker on the ceiling of the turbo train. Most of the passengers got up and left with their luggage. I followed, and headed to the same old spot where my flight class gathered only around six weeks ago.

As I got off the turbo train with my duffel bag, I felt a vibration on my thigh. It was Harris texting me. It has to be. I pulled out my phone and pressed the power switch on top of its lens. Almost instantly a banner, accented by the wallpaper of my home page, appeared on my screen.

"30 guys. All are your classmates."

The message was texted in a crude and rushed manner, with some of the words simplified to an extent where no person from outside Earth will understand. But I do, and I constantly write notes to my teammates like this. If I do it right, driving them crazy like that was kind for fun.

I walked up a ramp where there're escalators for me to take. The spaceport really hasn't changed much, with the same primitive(sort of) machines and and self served ticket counters. But all I cared was the whereabouts of my classmates and friends, and the how-to to get them off planet safely.

I approached the counters and walked past people saying their goodbyes and asking service droids for directions. And just when I was about to move on, I saw something that made me freeze in my tracks.

In the distance stood a group of pilots in black uniform. I couldn't tell Harris or Arvel Crynyd from the rest, who were the only people I know that are among the group of pilots, with Crynyd being the brightest of all. But things have gotten so awful, that even a bookworm like him was getting stressed out.

I cautiously approached the pilots, trying not to gain the attention of the commanding officer in front of the novice pilots. Shooting the officer here and now would be no different from initiating a terrorist attack, and I had to wait till they get away from the crowd of travellers.

It took a solid fifteen minutes for all the pilots to gather and the officer to brief them. As soon as they're gone I slipped into the interrogation room near my position, where the armoury was located. But not before I clipped my vibroblade to my belt for silent takedowns.

A stormtrooper walked out of the room casually, not noticing that I was just in front of him. And before he could even tell I'm not an imp, I drew my blade and inserted it in his neck.

There was surprisingly little noise, not even his colleagues noticed it. I stowed my blade and pulled out my sidearm. By then two of the stormtroopers noticed me, but it was too late. In a moment's notice I added several extra holes on their heads with my sidearm, and the room was clear.

I headed to the gun racks at the end of the room and busted the lock guarding their rifles. As I opened the racks a dozen of neatly placed E-11s appeared in front of me, but one gun stood out of all.

I thought the M4 I saw on the racks was just a relic for those imps from Earth to keep, but when I reached for it and primed it, the mechanism inside actually did its work. On the side of the gun there're words scribbled in white. "Property of US gov.t"

That thing couldn't carry as much ammo as the DC15s do, but some genius scientist managed to use tibanna to modify its firing mechanism sometime before I made my first attempt to run. To make things simple, I'm holding an energised M4A1, with a whole box of extra clips buried in another storage locker.

"Oh hell yeah! I missed this thing!" I couldn't help but yell out in joy. The M4 was the ultimate weapon when it's energised, and even though it makes a lot of noise, I ought to thank the scientist that made this mod.

As I marched out the interrogation room with my newly acquired M4 and a supply crate of E-11s, I spotted a patrol of stormtroopers walking up a stairwell leading to the airfield, where the pilots headed down. I lowered my head and managed not to get their attention, and pushed the crate down the stairs.

I paused at the side of the stairwell and unzipped my duffel bag, revealing the rest of my gear and my DC15. I attached my DC to the back of my clone-like vest and wore it along with the rest of my gear. I didn't bother to use my only gun sling I have on my M4, so I simply left it be and carefully walked down the stairs.

I caught up with the pilots moments later, and managed to get a clear shot at the officer with my M4, after making sure that was the group I'm after. I still had my rifle pointed at them, just in case. I was reassured when one of the pilots took off his helmet.

"About time. Let me guess, you're the guy Ion sent?" Asked a distinct voice. I thought of just telling them that I am 'Ion', but I wanted to give them a surprise, so I simply said "Yes" to my classmates.

"Everyone grab a gun. We're taking the cruiser at the north field." I ordered. The pilots quickly gathered around the crate and took whatever gun they could reach, and the whole class sprinted down the corridor, eager to get off the planet as fast as possible.

As we sprinted down the hallway and into the open airfield, I noticed a whole battalion of riot stormtroopers standing under a spacecraft. The others opened fire on them almost instantly, but I wanted to play smart, especially since I really can't waste too much ammo on some riot shields.

I aimed down the iron sights on my M4 and waited for the right moment to snipe the riot troopers. I finally got a chance when one of them slammed his shield on the ground, exposing his head in the process. I bent my index finger, a loud, explosive buzz rang right next to my ear.

The trooper's shield was completely demolished, and instead of having a hole in the head, the stormtrooper was practically beheaded. The M4 was indeed a classic high-damage weapon, but I had no idea it was that overpowering. My jaws dropped, and without even thinking twice, I pressed down the trigger firmly until every riot stormtrooper was shredded into pieces.

The rest stared at me in awe as we headed towards the cruiser. I tried to convince them to put the spotlight on me later, but they didn't care, and had their eyes glued on me.

The stormtroopers guarding the light cruiser tried desperately to hold us off, but with both manpower and morale on our side, the cruiser was ours in a matter of minutes.

"Arvel, get to the helm, take ten guys with you. Harris, override the weapon controls and set them to manual. Ethan! You're with me. We'll take the guns." I ordered.

Ethan was never the brightest in school, never the best pilot, never the best warrior. But when he gets committed to something, he does it like a boss, and that's why I respect him, even though I make fun of him most of the time.

I hopped onto the gunner seat at the front of the cruiser and waited. I felt the ground below me shake, and the G-force pushing me back. As we flew out of Earth's atmosphere I heard my targeting system beep. Incoming TIE fighters.

"Harris! You got the guns, right?" I asked. "Yeah. Why?" Asked Harris through his helmet comm.

"I need you to switch the batteries to full-auto mode. Arvel, set coordinates to Ryloth. Jump at your discretion." I requested. "Ethan, you said you always wanted to be on the frontline." I added.

"Damn true." Replied Ethan. The cruiser shook violently, and I was hearing grunts and noises of armour clashing together through my comlink. "I'm tilting the ship. If anyone's holding a grudge on those imps now will be a good time!" Announced Crynyd.

A squad of TIE fighters flew past our cruiser, their green lasers barely missing the bridge. I trained my guns and fired bursts into their flight path, and made short work on one of them.

Ethan aimed at another crowd of fighters and unloaded a barrage of green cannon fire on them. He scored another lucky hit, and forced the remaining three to scatter.

"Engine's taking fire! Ethan, do something!" Shouted another pilot. I tilted the control handle to the left and pressed down the trigger without even aiming at the TIEs sharply. The TIEs dodged my fire, but two of them flew right into Ethan's line of fire.

"Wohoo! Nice shot, Ethan!" Commented Harris, who was tuning the engines on the bridge to prepare the cruiser for a hyperspace jump. "Arvel are you done yet? I think those cruisers are closing in on us!" Yelled Ethan.

"Done! Harris, make the jump!" Crynyd shouted seconds later. And soon, we've left our pursuers light years behind us.

"Gather the people at the bridge. I got a few words to say. To all of you." I requested and got off my seat. Ethan headed up the bridge through the stairwell, and I followed not far behind.

"People! I assume you're going to have your exams tomorrow?" I asked loudly to make sure everyone could hear me. "Oh damn. We have maths tomorrow. I flunked last year." Replied Crynyd. "We got bloody biology. I don't even know what's the point!" Another pilot chimed in, and soon the room was filled with sounds of chatting about their mishaps.

I sighed. I've changed a lot, but unfortunately Earth was still the same broken place. "Well I want you to forget about it. Because, according to Earth calendar, today is the 25th of December." I announced as I took off my dark glasses and pulled down my skull mask, revealing my true identity to everyone.

"Merry Christmas, my friends." I said, with a bright smile on my face.

The pilots were completely blown away, with some hugging each other to their eventual release from the dreadful open-ended question, and some giving me high fives.

Either way, I proved my life to be worth a lot more that those imps think, and this day was probably the most fruitful Christmas, ever.


	19. Chapter 19:

Day 33-19:24:33

PFC Ion

Recently I was introduced to Dicer, the only female among all the pilots I rescued. Apparently she was sick of the Empire's mind control like us boys too, because Harris told me she purposely went to him after she heard of my story. I don't remember where I met her, and I probably would've still been in the dark if Crynyd didn't remind me she was my primary classmate.

Despite being a problematic teenager in the eyes of her imperialist teachers, she was considered an ace whenever it comes to flying a fighter, just behind Crynyd. She was a close friend to him and younger than most of us. And with a lot of practice time with Crynyd, her flying has advanced beyond military training.

While a lot of my friends shipped Crynyd and Dicer, I was the one who simply stood by and felt bad for them. For I once had a very similar dilemma in the days I spent with the Movement. Finding Faylin was only my mission, but somehow every person was planning to follow my footsteps, and now I have 30 people I can ask for help.

Fulcrum told me it would be a good call to scout around the city, and that's what I've been doing with the more daring classmates and friends. But our luck was running out. There wasn't a single trace of her, and our ship was reported stolen after a very pissed Gar Saxon gave the Imperial High Command a detailed report of the events on Christmas day.

Sometime later...

'Lothal'

December 31, Earth calendar-19:22:56

PFC Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

INS Sparta, Garel

After days of supply runs and frustrations, one of the pilots finally managed to get us a heading. He told me a rogue TIE fighter was shot down over Lothal, and the corpse of the pilot was nowhere to be found. Once I got word of the news I quickly headed up to the bridge and broadcasted to my friends. "People, whatever you're doing now, I need you to get back to the Sparta. We're going to Lothal. Ion out."

As time passed pair by pair the pilots returned from their search areas, and Crynyd started the ship once everyone was on board. There wasn't anything I could do on the bridge, so I simply told the classmates who knew how to fly the cruiser I will be absent, and headed down the hangar to check on Harris and the rest.

"Hey Harris!" I said as I walked towards the Chinese teenager with his black jumpsuit still on. "Yo!" He returned happily, with an E-11 on his hands. He was always jealous of my skills in close quarters, and he goes into a practice spree whenever he picks up a gun.

"So what's on Lothal?" He asked. "One of my teammates who went MIA was sighted on that backwater. We're going after her." I replied. Dicer, who was changing her status on her phone, overheard our conversation and tilted her head. "Wow, you got yourself a girlfriend when you're gone?" She asked mischievously.

"Not her. I've got a crush on someone else." I shot out without even thinking twice. Most kids get cold feet when they get interrogated about their love, but me myself I'm no ordinary kid, and I don't have room to fear about such little things. Besides, I don't need to deny if I truly love someone.

"What the..." Dicer was caught off guard by my swift response. She remembered me as a wimpy kid constantly crying for help, and not as a bold kid fighting to free the people from slavery. "Well who might that be?" She continued.

"Now's not a proper time to tell. We're almost there." I simply replied and fetched my M4 off the toolbox next to me. As I reloaded it, I felt a slam on my shoulder. "Hey, you better tell us when we're done." Ethan whispered evilly.

The cruiser jolted as it jumped out of hyperspace above Lothal. I hurriedly dragged Ethan to the turret seats, as I knew things were not going to end well. "Harris! I need you to switch the fire mode again. Do you copy?" I shouted once I was sitting on the gunner seat on the port side of the ship.

"Yeah yeah I just got it!" Harris answered hastily as green lines slammed onto the side of the cruiser. Ethan instantly aimed at the nearest transport's engines for a counterattack, while I was firing at its bridge, hoping to disable the ship with the least shots. Eventually the transport's shields failed, and the bridge disintegrated into a fireball, killing the entire crew and sending it plummeting to the surface of Lothal.

The cruiser sped past the blockade, dodging laser fire and disrupting the remaining ships with our combined efforts. Soon we're inside Lothal's atmosphere and touching down in the outskirts of the planet.

I led Harris and another classmate down the ramp of the cruiser, and reached for my comlink. "This is Spectre 2-3 to Javelin 0-1, do you read me?" I said. No one answered.

"Javelin 0-1, if you can read me, we're coming. Hang in there." I eventually gave up and just left her a message(if she's still alive) after a dozen of failed attempts. I headed back up the ramp and dragged three BARC speeders down.

"Where're we going now?" Ethan asked curiously.

"To the capital." I answered and hopped onto one of the speeder bikes. "Arvel, keep the engines warm."

An hour later…

We accelerated upon our entry to the highway leading to the capital, flying past civilian speeders well over the speed limit. "Where do we start exactly? It's not like we have a plan to get her out." Ethan shouted.

"Uh...I think they already started the party!" The other pilot answered, pointing at the distant walkers guarding the gates of the city. The walkers weren't at their posts. Instead they all had their guns pointed at the ground, and the sounds of blasters and chatter grew louder and louder.

I immediately realised they've already got a bead on Faylin, and as much as I don't know her at all, she was the only human Cham can trust, and I need her to convince Cham to let those thirty pilots in. I know it's bad for me to think of what profit a job can bring me, but in my defense, I do need motivation when I'm living in a racist and distrusting society.

I pulled out my sidearm and fired a burst into the bottom of an AT-DP, distracting the walkers and allowing me to gain a foothold on the top of it after jumping off my speeder. The BARC careened into the barricade, sending the imps on the ground flying in all directions.

I swiftly opened the walker's hatch and threw my last grenade into the cockpit. The crew shrieked upon an explosive found in their already crammed seats, and seconds later the walker was blown into two, its remains flaming.

The other defense pod fired a salvo of laser rounds at us, but their stormtrooper aim was doing nothing but helping us get away and counter their attack. The second walker fell, after putting dozens of laser bolts to the bottom of it.

"This is Spectre 2-3 to Javelin 0-1, do you copy, over?" I shouted to my comlink once more. Seconds later a hazy and frantic voice finally came through. "This is...Javelin 0-1, I...pinned down at the junc...second avenue and….street...think I can last that long!"

"Got it. I'm on my way. 2-3 out!" I assured and led the three of us down the highway on foot. "Look!" Ethan pointed to an alley flashing in red and yellow. "Gunfire, over there!" He announced.

"Damn. Come on let's hustle!" I ordered. There was no room to give a damn about anything else at this point, and I think the rest already had an idea on the severity of this op. They're actually racing me, instead of lagging behind like they do most of the time. The streetlights behind us glowed brightly, forming a long, slender shadow of all of us as we sprinted down the highway.

I didn't even bother to stop when I reached the alley. I launched a kick and ran on the walls next to the alley, trying not to twist my ankle while wall running for the first time of my life. As I lost momentum and was forced to hit the deck, I drew my M4 and shot two of the three stormtroopers firing at Faylin. The last turned his attention at me, but Ethan managed to fire a burst at him before he could.

I noticed an active E-web firing down the street at the other end of the alley inside a disabled RTT, with stormtroopers cut down and more extra holes punched into the side of the transport. "Ethan cover us! I'm going to for the truck!" I shouted and returned fire as I ran out in the open.

The firefight intensified, and the sound of gunfire was only growing more and more frequent. I realised there was no way to get into the transport without getting shredded by the imperial's war machines. So I had to knock the side of the RTT to signal Faylin.

"0-1, we're here. you miss us?" I asked. "Oh hell yeah!" Faylin yelled out in relief from inside. "Where's your backup?" She asked, while mowing down stormtroopers with the juice inside the E-web at the same time.

"We're the backup. Come on, we have to go! The spaceport's three blocks away!" I answered. Ethan tried to get across a few times, but every time he tried to get across some annoying stormtroopers would keep him at bay and delay us.

After several shouts and waves at Ethan, I decided it was time to let the imps have it. I unloaded what's left inside my clip onto the stormtroopers blockading the avenue, tearing their bodies apart with my piercing rounds.

"Arvel! Get the ship to the capital spaceport! We need a pickup!" I shouted to my comlink as I slowly paced away from the RTT, not even bothering to reload my weapon until I got a response from the rest of the pilots.

"Listen Ion, we can't land on the spaceport, too many AA guns down there. I suggest you get to the senate building, it's only a few blocks away at your north. How copy over?" I heard a voice crackle from my comlink.

"Three extra blocks, got it!" I replied and turned around for full speed. As we ran towards the dome building ahead of us, I caught sight of a squad of TIE fighters in the distance. "Faylin! Ethan! New extraction point. Head to the top of the senate building! Go!"

I crouched outside the entrance and got on my comlink once more while the other three scaled the building from the inside. "Arvel, be advised. TIE fighters circling around the building. Have someone on the guns. Out." I announced.

Arvel responded as I picked off a few pioneer stormtroopers that have tailed us to the senate building. "Copy that. Davis! You heard the man. Find someone to go with you. I'm kind of busy here!"

I checked the streets for one last time and followed the rest up the building. Senators and office-bearers filled the stairwell, all staring at me as I sped up the stairwell. A stormtrooper flew along the hallway as I reached the top of the stairwell, a red blaster bolt followed, killing the stormtrooper.

I shifted my aim down the hallway as I made a hard left around the corner. Startled by my sudden appearance, Ethan aimed his E-11 at me, thinking I was a hostile operative. "Whoa whoa...whoa! Watch your fire, damn it!" I exclaimed in fear, while pointing my gun upwards to keep myself from firing at then by mistake.

"Jeez! You scared me. Better go!" He replied and continued heading up the dome building with Faylin and the other pilot, with me following close behind. "Arvel, you better tell me you did something about those TIEs!" I yelled desperately, knowing we won't survive for long under such fast-paced circumstances.

Faylin blew the doors on the top floor open, revealing a landing pad ahead and the Sparta battling out with the TIEs and the ground forces. The four of us spread out, hitting the stormtroopers from behind. The Sparta lowered its altitude and the cargo ramp, allowing us to hop on one by one.

The last pilot jumped onto the ramp, but before he could get a solid grip on the ship, a a stormtrooper managed to hit his rib with his last breath.

I jumped backwards and barely grabbed his foot before he slid off the ramp. Seconds later the ramp started closing slowly, allowing me to pull the wounded pilot back into the Sparta with a little help from Faylin.

The defected TIE pilot lay on the floor, his wound dripping with blood and internal fluid from his organs damaged by the shot. Out of desperation I cut off a piece of cloth from the pilot's sleeves and pressed it on his wound. "Someone, get medical droid!" I shouted.

"On it!" Faylin replied and dashed up the crew quarters. Even the usually bystanding Ethan rushed to my side and helped me with the pilot's wound, which surprised me by a lot.

After a few gruelling minutes Faylin finally returned with half a dozen of my classmates and a stretcher, and I was able to spare myself from another few torturous hours of repairing live organs. I headed up the bridge and noticed the rest who aren't busy on something staring at the giant screen on the bridge for broadcasting. On the screen was the busiest harbour in our hometown, and a countdown clock on the upper-right corner. It was New Year's Eve.

"0-1, play the countdown in his room too." I requested and leaned against the wall, watching the countdown with the rest of my classmates. I wanted to help, but Faylin insisted that I have done too much, and should get some rest. She even promised me to talk some sense into Cham about human members, which was most encouraging to me.

This was probably the roughest New Year's Eve ever, but I've paid my dues, to myself and the Movement, and there's nothing to regret.


	20. Chapter 20:

'Phoenix'

Day 40-15:32:48

PFC Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

Gryphon, Ryloth's largest moon

"Unh!"

"Argh!"

Numa swung her blunt sabre at me, threatening to put a dent on my shoulder plate. But the twin tanfa I chose was no toy either, and I easily deflected Numa's attack.

"Talk to me, Numa." I said after pushing her sabre back. "Why did Goll turn on us?"

"I don't know. Likely because he…" Numa replied while thrusting her sabre towards my chest. "...blames himself for the massacre." She continued after I dodged to the side of the ring.

I reversed my tanfa to cover my forearm and tried to hook her several times, but apparently she has been practicing hard with a sabre when I was gone, because none of my attacks even got close to her.

"Glad to know. I thought you guys were testing me again." I commented as I tried to stab her with the long end of my tanfa, even though Faylin already told me Goll was the only traitor yesterday. Still, I wonder, how Numa feels about me, after all we've been through.

She couldn't do that to me, could she?

Without any warning, Numa raised her sabre and struck my head, forcing me to lift both of my tanfas to counter her strike. "Ion, remind me what I'm doing here." Numa requested, her sabre still forcing down on me. I had to slip under her arms to keep myself from falling over. And once I gained a neutral ground I responded.

"You asked me to come. I'm here." Numa renewed her grip on her sabre, but instead of attacking me, she lowered her blade and threw it onto the ground. She plopped down onto the mat on the ring, burying her head between her legs. I followed and sat beside her.

"What is it?" I asked. "Why is it that everyone I trust goes in some way?" She whispered in grief without even bothering to look up.

I must admit, that was challenging. Girls. Always trying to give me a hard time. I thought. Her family was either dead or trying to sell her into slavery, I've only met her for forty days, Goll turned against us, and in her point of view her 'brothers' were no better than dead, since the Grand Army of the Republic was now loyal to the Empire.

"It's why people rebel." It's all I could say to her. After the events of the last two weeks one half of me says I need to stay away from everyone in the Movement as far as possible, but the other half says I should endure, and find as many friends as I can.

I might have officially lost my mind.

Numa's lek ran along my spine and up onto my shoulder. I wanted to hold it like a hand, but I was worried doing so might damage her brain, so I simply held it gently. "But nothing worthy comes easy." I said.

Numa was about to respond when our comlinks came to life. "Spectre 2, report at the hangar immediately." Ordered Cham. I returned the twin tanfa and turned my attention to Numa. "Time to go. Let's see what they got in store for us." I said.

"Hopefully we're going back to Ryloth. I hate moons." Numa grumbled. As we headed for the doorway Gobi appeared out of nowhere, with a combat vest made on Earth in his hand. "You're going back to Earth. Cham's only taking half of the pilot you brought back." Gobi announced in frustration. "Believe me, I tried." He continued.

"I don't blame you, but am I just gonna drop them off at the same shithole on Earth?" I complained angrily, realising that all my hard work was stolen by some racist general. "He certainly wants you to, but I won't make you do that. Earth is in jeopardy, worse than ever even in my standards." Answered Gobi.

"How so?" My anger transformed into curiosity and concern as Gobi continued updating me about Earth. "Fulcrum told us the 501st is deployed to Earth to suppress the runaway tide. They're all over the schools on Earth, except somewhere called...Finland. Resistance is too heavy over there. You'll dispatch the pilots there and aid their resistance. Xira's found another means to recruit people on Ryloth."

"I hope this doesn't end in me getting expelled." I commented. "You've already earned my respect. I'll make sure that doesn't happen." Assured Gobi as he handed the vest to Numa. It was very similar to mine, only it was entirely made out of kevlar and had velcros on its shoulder straps. It was also capable of protecting one from an energised weapon. On the velcro was a purple patch I couldn't see clearly, but I could tell its tips were in light orange.

The three of us reached the hangar moments later. In the hangar sat the Nu-class shuttle and the pilots who didn't make the cut. "What exactly am I gonna do in Finland?" I asked. "They'll tell you. Oh, and you're doing this with Numa, so don't worry, you'll come back." Answered Gobi.

I didn't like it. Not at the least. The idea of me continuously going to Earth just doesn't seem right.

I reluctantly boarded the shuttle with Numa, but not before I asked Gobi one last question. "How exactly are you guys gonna recruit people?"

"Spiriting." Replied Gobi. "Works best on servant girls."

A day later...

Crynyd has landed the shuttle somewhere near Turku, a town in Finland. It was cold, freezing cold, resulting in both Numa and I wearing a gray hoodie under our vests and the pilots wearing extra underwear.

"So how do we find this resistance?" Asked Dicer, who was fed up holing inside the cruiser and now standing next to me and Numa. "I dunno. Start by sniping Imperial probes?" Replied Numa.

From what I see she's doing, she's already obsessed with sniping. Half the time on the shuttle she was tuning her DC15A, and the second the Republic ship touched down she ran out in the open and scanned the town with her sniper rifle. Girls that obsessed with something other than expensive clothes and brand goods are rare these days.

I looked up at the sky as she continued to generate loud bangs with her rifle, not searching for the resistance's air patrols, but drowning myself in my own fantasies. She might be able to be discovered by accident, but she can't be sought, by any means.

I'm glad I decided to take my skull mask to Ryloth when I left, because my mask was all that's hiding my daydreaming expression, and I don't need any more Dicers or Xiras to gossip over me, even though I was quite ready to admit it to anyone who asks(besides Numa).

I was disenchanted when Numa slapped my hindbrain after realising I was daydreaming mindlessly. "You look shaken up." She said. "More or less. Shit, war does do something to a person." I made an excuse for my sudden hypnotise.

"I saw Terran marines down there." Reported Numa. I was thrilled upon the news, the marines I know were as formidable as the 501st, in addition to their high morale and brotherhood. "May I borrow that? I gotta see this." I pointed at her rifle.

"Yeah. Sure." Numa replied and handed me her DC15. It was one of the heaviest rifles I've lifted, only behind the minigun I saw in my childhood. I went prone and looked through the scope with my left eye closed.

Below the cliff was the ghost town of Turku. Despite being late in the morning, there was only a few civilians on the streets. Behind them was a patrol of two officers with a blue helmets and navy uniforms. Both carried E-11s. "I don't think they're exactly marines. They're more like the resistance we're looking for." I said while scanning the rest of the town.

My search was interrupted when I heard a low and muffled roar growing louder and louder. It wasn't TIEs or imperial battleships, but a rather pleasant engine roar. I returned the DC15 to Numa and scanned the skies with my eyes. At first I saw nothing, but a few seconds later I noticed two spots growing bigger in the horizon.

Its size was too large for an A-wing, and it was going way over supersonic speed. The transparent cockpit of the two fighters protruded from their bodies. And as they flew closer to our position I was able to tell its identity. F-22s, my personal favourite just behind the prototype X-wing.

The patrol flew past us, deafening our ears. "Ion, they're hailing us!" Announced Crynyd from the cockpit of the shuttle. "Unknown personnel, identify yourself. I will not ask again." Threatened the Air Force pilot.

I can be a bold person, but like every other sane ground soldier, I fear the sound of missiles and bombs dropping down on my head. "This is Ion from the Free Ryloth Movement. We come in peace. Hold your fire." I said to the pilot inside the F-22.

"Copy that. Commander Sato requests your presence at Helsinki. You are advised not to go outside the shoreline." Replied the pilot.

Half an hour later...

5km north of downtown Helsinki, Finland

I walked down the ramp of the shuttle, with Numa and Ethan tagging along behind me. The Helsinki base was surprising well constructed, with squadrons of A-wings and Raptors parked at the end of the runway. As we headed to the interior of the base an Abrams tank rolled past us, with a squad of marines in blue uniform sprinting behind it.

"Man, they've got way more resources than we do." Commented Ethan. "But not enough. That's for sure." I said.

"Good to see you. Commander Sato is over there." A marine greeted and led the three of us to a holoprojector inside the complex. There an officer in orange and grey uniform and several captains were already waiting for us. "I assume you are the resistance from Ryloth?" Asked the officer.

"Yes sir." Replied Numa.

"I'm commander Sato from the Phoenix Squadron, wish we met under better circumstances." He sighed. "There's a shipment of minerals departing from a foundry in Germany tomorrow at 0600. It's lightsaber resistant, which will help you with your forthcoming missions." Announced Sato as he pointed at a spot on a holographic map of Germany.

"What are we looking at?" I asked.

"A labour camp. The shipment comes first, but you're most welcome if you can rescue some of the workers. You're going to need those materials in your upcoming missions. Be at your guard. Part of the 501st legion is responsible for guarding that facility." Answered Sato.

"Fulcrum's right. The 501st are all over your world. Not even the camps are safe from them." Numa leaned over and whispered to me.

"Noted." I replied to both Sato and Numa. "We'll get it done. Sir." I assured. Materials for electrostaffs? I asked myself. Looks like the Sith aren't far behind.

I thought of asking Numa for another practice run in close quarter combat, but unlike me she needs considerable rest from time to time, so I just headed to the ring, after asking a sergeant for directions. "Watch yourself out there. I heard there're some red blade crazies out there." The sergeant said before leaving me to my business.

I grabbed the first pair of tanfas I caught sight on, and went to the side of the room, where practicing my moves wouldn't hit anyone by mistake. I wanted to take off my gear, but then I reminded myself I'm gonna have to fight the Sith someday, so I just left them on.

It's only a matter of time before I have to deal with one. Hopefully Numa and I will be ready by then.


	21. Chapter 21

Author note: Rest in peace Kenny Baker and Carrie Fisher. You'll always have a special place in the Star Wars universe.

* * *

'Killing is No Art'

Day 42-05:33:21

PFC Ion

Joint operation: Free Ryloth Movement/Phoenix Squadron

Imperial labour camp, Germany

Under the cover of night Numa and I, along with a squad of marines including Ethan, landed on Germany to assault the imperial foundry near Hamburg. Right now the team's marksmen are observing the foundry at the edge of the jungle, while the rest of us cleaned up traces of our presence.

"By now they should be loading the first shipments. We've got the green light." The marine commander announced quietly through comms. "Numa, let's go." I said.

It wasn't easy to step through the snow, certainly not with 10 kilos of survival gear and weapons. But we managed to get the hang of it anyway. "Word got out that several students were caught trying to leave Earth to join the rebels, caught by the 501st." Said the commander as we marched in the snow towards the foundry which just appeared in our sights.

"Shit. We should do something. Where are they held?" Numa asked anxiously. "Don't bother. They were executed last night, by a Chiss admiral." The commander sighed. I nearly vomited beneath my mask. I know Thrawn as a master psychologist, but I never knew he was capable of such terrorism. "Executed?...and...no, he's not getting away from this!" I exclaimed, my brain and heart consumed by anger and vengeance.

I felt a pat on my shoulder right after I finished my sentence. "I'm with you, bro." She nodded confidently. I guess I was glad to hear that, but it didn't help me with my sour mood. I'll kill that bastard myself if I get a chance. But if anyone did it before me, I don't think I'll really mind.

"Juggernaut inbound, hit the deck!" Ordered the commander. Immediately I found myself choking on the freezing white flakes piled on the ground. Fortunately I was already numb to the temperature after almost getting cooked on Ryloth, so me and the team stayed in cover just fine.

The Juggernaut tank rumbled past us, sending vibrations towards our direction. I could feel the snowflakes collapsing on my back, but I had to stay prone, until the tank is out of sight.

Moments later we cautiously got back on our feet and paced towards the foundry. I pointed my rifle upright and scanned the entrance for stormtroopers. I had to do it twice, since stormtroopers were extra hard to spot in the snowy land.

"There's the front entrance. Coast is clear. Go!" Numa whispered. "Move it!" Added the commander as the strike team of six sprinted towards the sliding doors of the back entrance, afraid of being spotted by stormtroopers patrolling the area.

But before we could reach the door a squad of stormtroopers appeared out of nowhere and jumped on us. "Shit. Contact!" I exclaimed and returned fire, while the rest of the team dispersed and ducked for cover behind the snow.

I managed to keep my cool and aimed down my sights. I noticed a stormtrooper firing at the marines near the door, but before I could take my shot, a blue laser beam flew past me, and punched a hole in the stormtrooper's helmet.

"Man down, man down!" A marine yelled desperately. I looked up and tried to locate the source of the shouting, while being careful not to be picked off by the imps. "Hold on, I'm coming!" I returned. With no time to waste, I got up on my feet and ran onto the tread of the Juggernaut tank, dodging and lowering my body to keep myself from taking hits.

On the other side of the tread was a stormtrooper crouching behind a lamp, firing single shots at us and forcing the marines to move constantly. I opened up on him, but unfortunately I couldn't do anything but force him to pace sideways and put his focus on me.

After firing several bursts I finally managed to score a hit in his chest. The blast sent him dropping his rifle and flying backwards, and eventually landing on his back. I vaulted over the snow on my left and landed next to the wounded soldier, after picking off another stormtrooper who tried to push forward to us.

"How is he?" I asked, while keeping my attention at the four remaining stormtroopers defending the blast doors. "Extra dent on his helm, he's fine." Reported the marine beside him. I renewed my aim and shot yet another distracted stormtrooper, cutting their numbers to just two men.

We resumed our advance, and gunned down the last of the stormtroopers with overwhelming force. "Plant charges at the door, here and here." The explosive specialist that accompanied us pointed at several weak spots on the doors. "Fire in the hole." He announced after I planted the last detonator I received from Phoenix Squadron on the door.

The edge of the door fizzed and sparkled, and eventually flew back after the charges detonated. The iron sheets landed on the snow, sending it flowing in the air. "Go, go, go!" I shouted as I sprinted around the corner and into the facility. Inside sat an empty juggernaut tank, and crates of miniguns behind it.

My jaws dropped upon the sights of the heavy weapons. This mission was only meant for the electrostaff materials, but now we've got entire tanks to worry about. I couldn't care less about it though, since it wasn't for the Movement but for Phoenix Squadron.

"Commander Sato. There's a Juggernaut tank and some heavy weapons in the foundry. With your permission we'd like to extract it." The commander reported after he caught up with us in the hangar. "Solid copy. New objective. Rescue the slaves. We'll send the liberator and Raptor flight to provide air support. Over." Replied commander Sato.

The sight of molten lava and slave workers pushing carts of batons and staffs appeared in front of me as I sprinted down the ramp behind the tank. I rapidly checked my sectors and headed down the ramp leading to the lower levels of the foundry, where we could find a route with less resistance towards our objective.

"Contact. Weapons free! Go loud!" My adrenaline kicked in as he finished his sentence. Less than 3 meters next to me stood a stormtrooper who only realised our presence after the commander shouted out. I spinned and jabbed him heavily, sending him slamming into the rock wall next to him and falling to his death into the lava ten storeys below.

We might've as well as started a chain reaction. The slaves who were still dragging crates and operating the machines a second ago were now beating up stormtroopers and running for the tank with the help of two fellow marines who went to the lower levels to assist them.

I looked to my left and fired at the riot stormtroopers below me, but not before tuning my DC15S to single-fire to keep myself from killing civilians. Everyone was pretty much on a killing spree at that point, with some mowing down the stormtroopers armed with nothing but electrostaffs, and some like me swiftly moving and shooting our way to the other side of the foundry to intercept the shipment.

We've already covered a quarter of the foundry by the time the imps started using guns against us, and it's giving us a very hard time to get across. I had to switch to full-auto to give the team a chance to stand against the well-trained legion, and it resulted in me accidentally hitting several workers.

"Push forward! We're halfway there!" The commander shouted as I gunned down a fifth stormtrooper firing a floor below me. But when I was about to check the lower levels for more stormtroopers, I felt a sudden scorch on my shoulder. "Target hit...ahh!" My attacker was shot dead before he could fire at me further, by a teal figure with a grey hoodie.

"Thanks Numa. I owe you one." I thanked. "Anytime. I gotta get across. Cover me!" She requested. I glanced ahead and noticed another squad of 501st moving in from the upper levels. "You got it!" I replied and reloaded my DC15, as facing just dozens of 501st has already drained a whole clip. "Firing!" I stated and unloaded on the two squads of stormtroopers jogging towards us.

With the help of the marines, a third of the squad was mowed down by the crossfire. The rest hastily took cover behind the regular bulges on the walls and fired back, forcing me to perform a somersault and slam my back against the wall. "Move move move!" Ethan exclaimed and gunned down another stormtrooper. I tilted my gun and poked it out of my cover, enabling me to cover his movement.

But when I tried to advance I was forced back by an overwhelming barrage of red laser bolts, and I had no choice to stay where I was. I was interrupted when my comlink started beeping. "Phoenix 2, hostile infantry and walkers inbound, AT-ATs and DPs. Recommend you pick up the pace." Advised commander Sato.

"Copy that." I replied as I tossed a thermal detonator behind me, rendering the stormtroopers holing out behind their cover panicking and trampling backwards. But none of which was able to save them from being blown off the platform by the blast.

I ended up making a gap in the middle of the platform where I have to make a left to reach the transport. The commander scanned for an alternative route, after noticing the destruction I caused. "Damn it. There's no way other than rappelling down into that bloody stove. Use your grapple." He ordered. "Numa, cover me. I'm going downstairs!" I stopped firing and attached my grapple to the railing, while Numa fired bursts to the stormtroopers on the same floor to keep them at bay.

I barely made it down to the casting levels without falling into one of the many lava containers. And as I did groans and shouts of fistfights rang behind me, along with bodies of defeated stormtroopers flying past me. "Your turn, Numa! Come on!" I said as I fired a volley of blue laser rounds towards a cart of abandoned minerals, where a stormtrooper was crouching behind it.

"Shit. It's a full house down here! Need a little help!" I shouted after counting the stormtrooper helmets I can see from my position. The foundry was on full alert, and a whole garrison of 501st soldiers were dispatched to stop us. As usual a blue piercing round from a DC15A soared from behind me and took down another stormtrooper, but there were still dozens of them to deal with.

The rest of the assault team touched down and advanced to my position. An unlucky marine went too far, and was shot in his chest, dead. _The hell with saving ammo._ I thought. Keeping ourselves alive was now the first priority. And with that taking over my head, I fired almost mindlessly into anywhere that had white on it.

I don't think I actually killed anybody, but the enemy fire sure grew thinner, allowing me and Ethan to creep forward and behind another lava container without getting shot at. And as I moved forward behind the container, I spotted a stormtrooper firing at Numa and the surviving marines just around the corner. My instincts finally kicked in, and I stabbed the stormtrooper's heart before he could spot me right next to him.

With an portable cover to use, I put away my carbine rifle and used my sidearm to help me cover more ground. Ethan managed to score a lucky hit on another stormtrooper, and crawled behind me after seeing me holding a body as a shield. "The ship is just up there! Come on!" Numa yelled through her comms, after she fired a salvo to a squad of stormtroopers trying to cut me down, forcing them to duck for cover.

The corpse was filled with black scorches and steaming holes, but it held up no problem. I was killing way faster than before, and so was Ethan. "Good work! Let's get topside! Numa, Calfor, lay down cover fire! Keep them separated!" The commander barked and lead Ethan and the rest of the marines to a cargo lift that goes to the hangar where the Gozanti transport is waiting, while Numa and I hanged back and suppressed the stormtroopers down below.

By the time the commander raised us a quarter of the stormtroopers were cut down by my burst fire and Numa's sniping. It was less efficient that our past mission, but in my defense, those legion troopers weren't even close to a standard stormtrooper's aim, and that alone has cost Sato's squadron a marine's life.

"Get your asses on the lift! Come on!" The commander shouted, while signalling Ethan and Calfor to cover our escape. As the lift went up the foundry we acquired the higher ground, allowing us to move further away from the stormtroopers until we reached the shaft below the transport.

"Phoenix 2, Liberator on station and ready for fire support. Warning, danger close." A gunner on board the CR90 corvette announced as the lift approached the surface, revealing the fuelled and ready Gozanti-class transport parked in the hangar. The guards above noticed our presence, but was ambushed when we fired upon them, killing several stormtroopers and forcing the rest to hide behind crates or anything suitable for cover.

The walkers outside the hangar fired at us, mortally wounding another marine. Its guns trained on me and Numa as we sprinted for the transport's elevator, but before it could fire, a series of sabot rounds landed on its hatch, piercing through its steel armour and transforming it into a fireball.

"Good kill, good kill. Raptor flight, clear the air so we can touch down. Over." Stated the gunner. By then we were already inside the transport, safe from the 501st putting holes on the ship. But as I headed for the cockpit to heat up the engines, a deafening radio interference rang inside my headset and the others' comms, rendering us lying flat on the ground and screaming for help.

After a desperate struggle I finally managed to grab my headset and throw it to the other side of the corridor leading to the pilot seats, and the rest switched off their comlinks before they became deaf. I glanced at the hologram at the bridge's dashboard and noticed a Chiss figure projected from the hologram.

"We meet again, boy." The figure broadcasted in a familiar voice. The same one I heard in the Geonosis factory. "Thrawn. You son of a bitch." I held my fists, ready to smash the hologram if I need to. Thrawn chuckled, in the most evil laugh I've heard. "Rebels. I knew you won't last long in the Movement. And neither will you here." He taunted.

"I thought of what you said to me on Geonosis. And you may be right, but your planet is no place for a naive child like you, or your precious twi'lek friend." At that point my logical sense was consumed by my anger, and without hesitating, I cursed in front of the hologram and shot it with my sidearm.

"Watch your language, soldier." The commander reminded as he returned my headset, now clear of interference from the Empire. Ethan and the commander plopped down on the pilot seats and took the transport to safety, while Numa helped the wounded marine at the back of the ship.

I simply stood behind Ethan, wondering when I could return to my hometown to face Thrawn.


	22. Chapter 22

Audio log#5

Cpl. Ion

"So it's been three months since I joined the Free Ryloth Movement, and three months since I became a soldier. The frontline on my home was rough, and we lost a lot of good men out there. I don't know how it feels like, to have an alliance with the Phoenix squadron. It doesn't match Cham's personality. He never trusts outsiders. Maybe he made an exception for me*chuckles*."

"And here I am, in an airbase in the United Kingdom. Still standing, still single. I never liked the veterans in the Movement but...uh...I might need Gobi, for a little relationship advice."

"We're still struggling in eastern and Central Europe, and there really isn't much room for me to help. I'm just so different from a normal infantry. So different they...ask me for orders. Regardless of I'm just a private."

"Speaking of which, I got the first promotion of my life. And even if being a corporal doesn't mean much, I'm glad my hard work wasn't for nothing. I do hope I don't get friend zoned by Numa, but um...I can't always just worry about myself."

The Chiss admiral Thrawn held the datapad in his palm, carefully listening to every word Ion was saying. I stood beside him along with captain Konstantine and Kallus, a stormtrooper new in our ranks.

He nodded cunningly and turned to Konstantine. "Fear has struck the planet and the students. I haven't heard them say anything from outside their textbooks. You have done well, captain. Soon you'll be raised to the ranks of an admiral." He promised.

"Thank you admiral, but the credit goes to you, and the men who carried out the orders." Returned Konstantine. I felt a chill down my spine and an urge to request absence. The Empire dumped textbooks of useless knowledge on Earth to keep them away from the Rebellion, and when that didn't work, they had their best admiral to spread absolute terror across the planet. Now here they stand on the bridge of the Chimaera, eating off the deaths of many innocent teens.

Kallus will never feel the same. He joined the Empire willingly, and he's striving to be part of the ISB. He'll never understand the pain of war and education.

'T65'

Day 62-18:42:55

Cpl. Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

Gaulus waypoint, 5 light years away from Ryloth

The Pelta-class Frigate Phoenix Home jumped out of hyperspace, with the INS Plateaa and the RAS Tantive II not far behind. I was inside the hangar of Phoenix Home, with Numa, Crynyd, Dicer and two other soldiers who are experienced in handling a spacecraft. I was now in charge of the team here, after Cham promoted me during our offensive in Europe.

"Alright people, listen up. In case you dozed off in the last meeting." I joked, which caught the attention of Crynyd and Dicer, who didn't really listen to Sato during the briefing. "An Incom ship is taken custody by the star destroyer Revenant, and it's going to make a stop at the Gaulus waypoint. We'll cripple their ships with our Raptors from the outside. Once their shield is down we'll go in from the bridge and disable their weapons and tractor beam. Tantive and Plateaa will engage once we're clear." I announced.

"And how exactly are we gonna survive in zero G?" Asked one of the marines. "These old clone armour should allow you to breathe, and the jetpacks we retrieved from operation Normandy should allow you to manoeuvre in zero G no problem. And don't screw this up. If we can bring that ship home we'll have a squadron's worth of X-wings and an alliance with Incom. Any more questions?" I said.

"Nope." "No sir." One by one the soldiers replied as my comlink came to life. "Look alive, soldier. The Revenant is approaching at point 2.4, get your pilots ready to deploy. You've got the green light. Sato out." Declared the commander.

"Copy that." I whispered and shifted my attention back to my crew. "Looks like the imps are joining our party. Let's roll!" I said and ran towards the modded Raptor parked just behind me. It still retained its super cruise engines and its cloaking ability, but it was fitted with energised cannons and an extra astromech slot.

There's also a set of new VTOL thrusters on the belly of the jet. Word got out that the combat engineers serving in Phoenix squadron are even planning to add an automated turret behind the astromech slot, which unfortunately wasn't something I cared too much about. I'm a ground trooper after all.

The sirens rang across the ship as we hopped into the cockpits of the sleek Terran fighters and saluted the air bosses assisting us. "This is commander Sato to all ships, battle stations. Raptor flight, you're clear for takeoff." Broadcasted the commander.

"Copy that. Prime your jets people. We're going outside!" I couldn't feel anything but a shroud of excitement under my skin. Not just because I got to fly a properly built jet fighter, but also I was fighting for my own homeland, and I'm damn proud to be able to do so.

My Raptor shot out of the frigate's hangar and soared towards the looming star destroyer, followed by the rest of Raptor flight. "Raptor flight report in." I requested as the flight protocols required me. One by one the pilots reported in, and soon we're joined by another squadron of A-wings.

"Phoenix leader reporting. We'll escort you to the destroyer. Make your bombing run quick. We won't last long out here." He stated. "Rog'. Locking on to the Revenant and...firing!" I said.

The missile hatches of my Raptor flung open and jettisoned a pair of Sparrow missiles from underneath. As they approached the destroyer its batteries came to life and shot one of the missiles out of the sky, marking the beginning for another gruelling dogfight.

"TIE fighters incoming! Raptor 4 and 5, break off and intercept. I'll take care of the destroyer." I ordered. Seconds later the A-wing scattered and engaged the TIEs, with the two Raptors close behind.

A TIE flew past my guns, gaining my attention as I headed towards the sphere on top of the bridge of the star destroyer. The targeting systems rang and beeped inside my headset as I tailed the TIE. I pulled down the red trigger on my joystick, unleashing a salvo of blue cannon rounds towards the TIE, knocking out its engines and eventually detonating the eyeball.

After a close call with another flight of TIEs, Numa launched her Sparrows into the starboard shield generator sitting on the bridge, igniting it from the inside and destroying their last generator. "Shield is down! Raptor flight, converge on my position. We're bailing out." I announced as I punched the release switch of the fibre glass cockpit, decompressing the pilot seat and sending me drifting towards the remains of the generators.

"Whoa, whoa! Incoming hostiles from the hatch!" Numa shouted from her fighter, refusing to eject with stormtroopers outside the bridge waiting to gun her down. "Suppressing fire. Stand clear!" She said as she opened up on her rotary cannons, shredding the repair crew and stormtroopers jumping out of the hatch.

With an open window, I ignited my jetpack and sped towards the side of the destroyer, firing and mangling stormtroopers that drifted in my way. "We might've stirred a hornet's nest here Ion! Where do these troopers and TIEs keep coming from?" Numa exclaimed after barely missing another barrage green laser bolts omitted from the turbolasers below.

"Dunno. Probably Thrawn's entourage, or worse." I replied as I flew to the side of the bridge and planted a claymore on its outer wall, creating a fireball that extinguished almost instantly.

I looked back at the tiny crater I made. The wall was dented and apparently thinner, but it was still intact, unlike what I anticipated. "Damn it! No effect on target!" I complained, while struggling to think of a way to breach the destroyer.

"I still got my cannons if you want." Numa pointed. "Right. Give it a shot then." I replied and launched myself away from the walls, avoiding the cluster of blue cannon fire hurtling towards the crater.

As the walls grew thinner and thinner the rest of my team approached my position and unloaded all they've got on the dent, gradually punching a hole enough to fit two soldiers through. The officers inside flew out of the breach, with some desperately clinging on the edge, but eventually pushed out by the decompression.

"Move in people. Numa, shut down the weapons systems and the tractor beam. I'll unlock the holding cells. The rest of you, get to the cells and secure the ship. Go!" I ordered as I drifted through the debris and towards the controls now flashing in red.

"Warning. Decompression detected at sector 10. Proceeding lockdown." The onboard AI broadcasted throughout the destroyer. "Shit, lockdown?" Asked Crynyd as he flew into the breach and finished off a stormtrooper at last stand.

"Doesn't matter. We still have the elevator shafts." I replied. "Weapons and tractor beams are powering down." Added Numa.

"I'm good over here. Let's go, team." I stated after unlocking the last cell. I hopped into the shaft and rappelled down the cable, after Dicer and another marine managed to pry the door open. "Check your fire down there. The Empire ain't shy about using living shields." I reminded as flashbacks of our op in Germany flew past my head. A stormtroopers was strangling a worker, threatening to kill him if I didn't drop my rifle and surrender.

Before I knew it, I was inside a dark and humid hallway with gas spitting out of the walls every few seconds. "We're not far from the holding cells. This way." I pointed to the end of the corridor and sprinted to the other end, while checking my corners to keep myself from being ambushed.

"Crynyd, Dicer, you're on exfil duty. The rest with me." I ordered as I headed down a stairwell to the lower levels of the battleship, while the pilots went up and towards the hangar. "Man this place is big. You know the way, right?" Numa asked doubtfully.

"Of course I am. That's why I took this mission in the first place." I assured as I shot two stormtroopers guarding the cells almost casually. To me, killing bucketheads was no longer something that'll keep me awake at night, rather than just part of my job in the Rebellion.

As I paced down the hallway two Sullustan and Duros figures in jumpsuits ambushed me and Numa. "Thank goodness it's not imperials. Are you here to rescue us?" A Duros Incom officer asked. "Yes. And your fighters. We should get off this ship at once. My friends are gonna destroy it and we shouldn't keep them waiting." I replied.

"Glad to finally see a twi'lek as a soldier, not as a dancer." The Sullustan grinned slightly(is he? I couldn't tell). Numa didn't respond, and simply nodded as the four of us sprinted towards the hangar, with a squad of stormtroopers in hot pursuit.

"Arvel. Tell me that ship of theirs is up and running!" I shouted anxiously as I countered our pursuers with my DC17 and sprinted into an open area, with a GR75 starship sitting in the middle of the a series of ladders meant for TIE pilots. "Affirmative. Get on while you still can." Replied Crynyd.

Numa paused and drew her DC15S, firing on the stormtroopers behind us and killing a number of them. She paced backwards slowly, not wanting to miss her only ride out. "Corporal Ion, Revenant's weapons are coming back online! Get off the ship now!" Ordered Sato as I turned around on the ramp and covered Numa.

"Copy that. Engage at will. We'll make it out of here." I answered and followed Numa into the Incom transport. "Not with your team still on board that magnitude!" Sato rejected. "It's fine! We're already disengaging. Just go loose on the destroyer!" I shot back.

The GR75 lifted off and sped away from the Revenant, leaving the star destroyer to be obliterated by the combined fire of the three warships and the starfighters. But as Dicer calculated the jump for hyperspace, a fleet of three star destroyers jumped out of nowhere and collided with the Tantive II.

"Oh oh...my god..." I stammered in horror as the Tantive II was torn into half by the dagger-shaped destroyer. Its cannons lit up on the Plateaa and Phoenix home as it rammed through the remains of the corvette. "Commence hyperspace jump, now!" The commander barked. Seconds later, the rebel flagship vanished from sight, followed by us and the repainted Arquitens cruiser.

"Hey corporal, someone's hailing us." Crynyd announced and was about to activate the holoprojector on the dashboard. "Put it through." I ordered.

"Believe it or not, I actually enjoy talking to humans. There's just so much art in doing so." Said a Chiss figure as Crynyd activated the holoprojector. I sighed and cursed angrily. _When is Thrawn done pissing me off? He's probably the only person more annoying that my mom._

"I know you do. And don't give me that you-rammed-our-ship-which-makes-you-smart bullshit." I shot back and gestured Crynyd to give me space. I shut off the hologram and turned to the crew inside the ship. "Don't answer calls from this motherfucker ever again." I ordered sternly.


	23. Chapter 23

Author note: This chapter is mainly about thoughts and does not contain action. So if you're an action fan, consider skipping this chapter:).

* * *

'A Ghost's Emotions'

Day 80(since Ion joined)-17:21:54

Sgt. Numa Bril

Free Ryloth Movement

Syndulla House, Tann Province

My friend Ion has drastically changed over the past few skirmishes with Thrawn's forces, as well as Earth's resistance. He wasn't the usual amusing and talkative teenager I know anymore. Right now he's more like a military grunt, doing nothing but carrying out tasks assigned to him. Sometimes he even volunteers one, especially those that have something to do with Earth. I don't know if it's just his inner nostalgia, or if his hate to Thrawn has turned him into an emotionless killing machine.

Out of desperation I chose to request a week off for Ion. And with the help of Gobi, we faked a reason for Ion to be taken back to Ryloth, saying the Movement is in need of manpower(and in fact we are). Cham said he's growing up and becoming a man, after judging his traits over the past two weeks. But I doubt he'll be the person I befriend if he keeps on 'growing'.

I really don't want to see an Imperial lapdog like Thrawn mold him into a mere enforcer. I might have to ask Gobi for advice, since he's the type of people everyone considers as a mentor.

Lt. Gobi Glie

Something's wrong with this kid, I know it. It's been almost three weeks since he ran up to me and ask me on how to chase Numa and something like that. Make no mistake. He does it whenever he has a chance to. At first I thought he was just busy handling the errand runs Phoenix Squadron throws at him. But then there's the op where we recovered a squadron of X-wings, and ever since then he was getting shady.

I'm no genius or Jedi, but I do know hate can be a real pain in the butt, and Ion might've just demonstrated it perfectly. From all the hate I've seen in my life, personal ones are the worst. I had no idea why he's always so pissed off these days, but having a chat with Arvel Crynyd when we shared a table at the canteen inside the Helsinki fortress I found out why.

Apparently it was some smart ass Chiss admiral, a hostile one. He told me how Thrawn was tapping into his comlinks, and how Thrawn saw his values as 'childish'. Even the marines who would usually try to stay a meter or two away from us chimed in. They said at a certain occasion Thrawn even teased him about his vulnerabilities(which took me less than a minute to figure out), and that just crossed the line for him.

He tried to make it subtle, but I can see that a little of his soul goes every day, regularly. At this rate it's only a matter of time before he goes completely berserk. I should just screw the waiting and go find him myself.

Petty Officer Xira

I sure was glad Ion and his band of brothers managed to recover Faylin in one piece. She was a gifted speaker, and a good friend too. And with her help, Cham agreed to have half of the crew Ion rescued to join our ranks. It was good news, considering how much he despises outsiders.

The recruits, both the twi'leks we spirited and the pilots that came back aboard the Sparta, were thrilled right now. It took a while for operation Revenant to get to the ears of the fellow new bloods. And when it did, everyone was praising Phoenix Squadron and Numa, but in my point of view their xenophobia has clouded them from one unsung teen, one that doesn't want Numa just because she's gorgeous.

I remember a certain occasion where I had to use my LL30 to halt Tymo, who was fancy of Numa(more like just her body), from doing something unpleasant. That wasn't the first time I stepped in and put a stop on their sexual desires. And frankly, I was expecting the same old case when I first got a glimpse on Ion's skull balaclava inside the mess hall, right before we embarked on a mission that nearly destroyed the Movement.

He has no idea what he's done to me, but I was mind-blown by him and the way he saw Numa. He loved her(if he doesn't then too bad), in a manner that no person I know has done. It wasn't her outer shell or curve that made him fall, but was her inner beauty, and believe me, I was surprised when Gobi first told me after their op in Germany, when it was still Imperial territory.

"He's not the worst I've seen, more like the weirdest. I haven't seen a guy like this before. And to be honest, I might need a little help from you too." It was what he said to me.

Cpl. Ion

I thought my parents were already the worst people I could've known, but it turns out they were only a fraction of what Thrawn was. I don't just hate him because I hate him, I don't like him because he, like every other stormtrooper or TIE pilot, don't see life as ends. And what made him worse, was that he saw war as a way to express his art, without any sense of respecting a life form. This kind of person is probably the worst asshole(forgive me for cursing yet again)the galaxy has to offer.

I was transferred back to the war effort on Ryloth, probably because Cham thinks Phoenix Squadron has already got enough resources to fight on its own on Earth, after numerous of hijacking and rescue operations with its crew. Don't even ask me what he's thinking. Like a dozen of armed spaceships and squads of starfighters can safeguard planet Earth.

Cham was right about one thing, though. I've changed. Now I don't just sit back and hope I don't get picked for a mission. I tend to go and find one. And that's what I'm doing right now. I managed to reach Fenn Rau, the Mando who let me hitch a ride in his fighter on Tatooine, after getting bored sulking in the fort without a purpose. He said there's a kidnapping operation that will happen in Rhovari within this month, led by a warlord called Cad Bane.

He said he had the remnants of the Shadow Collective and a small fleet with him, which was kind of a challenge, considering that Cham would never authorise an op like this. In other words I'll have to stop this enslaving madness alone. On the other hand this might not be that bad. Stopping slavery was the whole reason I came to Ryloth, so I guess it's worth all the trouble.

But for god's sake, I'll kill Thrawn someday. I can't just have one goal in my life after all.

CT-1183 "Fulcrum"

Word got out that a group of rebel leaders died in an asteroid collision. The crew of the 7th fleet was celebrating, and so was the Imperial high command. I wasn't too concerned about the incident, at least not until one of my comrades said we're about to go home in a pub in Lessu.

I knew deep down finishing the ever-growing rebellion can't be finished by pure force, a lesson I learned during my times in the Clone Wars. So I really don't see why we have a ticket home so early, and I wasn't shy to show my doubt either.

"What? How can you not know?" They exclaimed. Apparently I really don't get along with my men, judging their faces when I asked them. "They've got this battleship called the Twilight. Constant victory and massive destruction wherever it goes." One said. "It's basically over when you see it!" Another chimed in. And one after another they told me how 'awesome' or how powerful the ship and its crew were. But I just wasn't convinced.

I only agreed when I decided I was going to head back for the Chimaera and get a break from those pests. But that wasn't the only thing I had in mind. I need to gather everything I can find about the Twilight, and signing up for the newly founded Shoretrooper Corps might be the only option.

I heard the only place they go is the archive complex on Scarif, and that's exactly the place I need to find answers for the Movement.


	24. Chapter 24

'Artificial Sentients'

Day 82-02:42:11

Cpl. Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

Syndulla House, Tann Province

"A whole ship was gone. It was the Tantive II. All hands lost. Including Ethan." I reported. "And all that's left is us and the pilots. They're not ground soldiers. I doubt we can pull this off." All I could see was the caption on the hologram, but I could already tell even Fulcrum was getting concerned.

"Then don't force them. There's a shipment of BX commando droids leaving from the planet Lola Sayu, bound for Geonosis toady 1200. If you can intercept it the droids are yours, and it'll give you a better chance to fight off Bane's crew. May the Force be with you." Fulcrum replied as he signed off.

I was still hyperactive from the news I got from Rau sometime ago, so instead of trying to fall asleep, I lifted the pile of exam papers and textbooks inside a plastic bag Ethan gave me, as a means of both pranking me and getting rid of it.

I opened the door manually once I found my dark glasses and my headset, since the noise from the hydraulics of the door is more than enough to wake up the whole floor, not something I have in mind. The only people I know that can authorise me are Gobi and Cham himself, and I only need to persuade one of them.

But I wasn't going out to talk to anyone or get any permissions. Using it for anti-slavery and the Rebellion was a reason convincing enough, and I doubt anyone would disagree. I only wanted to get a break from staring at the dim bottom of the bed above me. I was interrupted when I heard another door slide open behind me moments later. "Insomnia?" I didn't even bother to look back to check who that was. _I'll just tell by its voice._

"Losing sleep? That's certain." A very familiar accented voice rang behind me, one that I've been listening to a lot since my first few days. I turned around, the same teal friend was there, leaning against the wall in the same body glove and desert-coloured cargo pants. Her armour and belt, though, wasn't with her, after all nobody would go to bed with their armour still on, not unless the situation requires so.

"Look, I know you might punch me down there for telling you this, but there's a major kidnapping operation in Rhovari this month. It's run by a warlord called Cad Bane, and we don't have to power to tackle them head on." I said while lowering my volume to keep myself from waking up everyone else. "Kidnapping? Who?" She asked.

"Innocent twi'lek girls, just like Reincarnation. They grab whoever they find on the street. Those fuckers are never satisfied." I grumbled. "In a shanty town? Where they don't even have enough food?" Numa exclaimed. I had to muffle her voice by covering her mouth. We sure were lucky everyone was still in a deep sleep, because we're really not ready for someone to push us back into our quarters.

"Precisely. That's what kept me up all night. Remember what I told you on my second day here? In the Badlands?" I asked, hoping she's not going to drop bombs on me for not getting enough sleep. "Of course I do. And really, I'm not pissed." Replied Numa. I frowned, knowing that my plans to repel the Shadow Collective is possibly very offensive to the members of the Movement that have fought during the Clone Wars.

"I haven't finished. I just got an update from Fulcrum. There's a shipment of used BX commando droids departing from Lola Sayu today midday, and I'm planning to ask the general or Gobi if that works." I said, while lowering my head slightly without her noticing. "Sep droids(for some reason that's what Numa calls the CIS)? I take that back. That...doesn't sound good at all." She answered while glancing at different directions, like she was afraid of something or having flashbacks I don't know.

"No it doesn't. But BX droids are formidable fighters. That's why Fulcrum even agreed." I sighed. Numa stood there like a statue, apparently processing all the info she received in the last few minutes. I had to wave my hand in front of her to snap her out of it. "What can I say? Even D4 is from the Sep ranks. No reason they won't agree." She finally said.

I looked down at my boots with their laces still undone, now covered with sand and water from previous battles, and looked back at Numa, having no idea how to break the dead air around us. "I gotta burn these things." I said to Numa, after reminding myself why I was even out of my room in the first place and realising there's really no point sticking around.

There's still plenty of heat at the fireplace a floor below me. Unlike Earth, Ryloth was always freezing cold when winter hits, and I'm sure adding some fuel to the fire wouldn't harm. "Where did you get all those?" Numa followed me as I headed down the stairwell leading to the quarters of the other members of the Movement. Some of them were empty, with the personal stuff of some deceased soldiers still in there.

The fireplace was buried in a pillar at the middle of the floor, with a few stools surrounding it. "Ethan. He told me to get rid of it, by all means. It was the last thing he said to me." I whispered, my voice low and grim as a droid. I emptied the bag and one pile after another, I dumped them inside the fireplace, leaving it to catch fire and eventually fade into ash. "Before Thrawn killed him."

Numa didn't say a word, and simply helped me accelerate my progression. She rested her hand on my unarmored back, and ran her thumb on its surface, making it feel like I wasn't wearing anything. I sat on one of the stools and did my laces as she continued, my mind still mourning the losses we suffered in the past, especially the ones I know personally.

"You shouldn't have told me about the droids." Numa finally broke the silence. "Now I'm getting ad...adr...what is that called again?" She grumbled. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing. Basic was never her thing, and that's created several laughing stocks within the Movement. "Adrenaline?" I asked, since it was the only thing I know that keeps people awake.

"Yeah. Adrenaline rush." She answered as she stood up from the stool. "Guess we won't be going back to sleep." She added.

"Man, three bloody hours till daylight. What do you want to do?" I asked. Certainly we're not going to talk about our family, like a normal soldier would. Our family was a shame to both of us, and we'll turn to the dark side for sure if we mentioned them.

"Get ourselves ready." Numa replied and headed back to her room, with me following close behind.

* * *

"People of the Movement, listen up! Be briefed or be sorry." Cham announced, loud enough for the pilots outside who weren't part of the op to hear him. "The slavers are back, and this time they've brought entire gangs with them." He continued as he activated the war room's holoprojector. "The Shadow Collective and the bounty hunter known as Cad Bane is leading a major kidnapping operation in the town of Rhovari. It's happening soon, and it's up to us to stop him."

A set of schematics of a spire prison replaced the image of the bounty hunter as Cham hit the buttons on the projector. "There's a shipment of BX commando droids leaving the Citadel of Lola Sayu today, noon. I want Gobi, Xira and Harris to get over there with the shuttle and secure the droids. If we success, then we may stand a chance against the mobsters." Ordered Cham.

 _Strange. They usually make me and Numa spearhead ops like these._ "So what do I need to do?" I asked. "You and Numa will keep an eye out in Rhovari. You call us at the first sign of trouble." Replied Cham. "What's this for people?" He shouted, even louder than the roar of the engines of our cruisers. He was requesting our battlecry, the one they had me memorise during training.

"For a free Ryloth!" We yelled out at the top of our lungs in unison. The team headed for the armoury to prepare themselves, but Numa and I were already geared up and ready last night, so instead of following, the two of us headed straight for our blurrgs, and rode on it towards the shanty town.

11 hours later...

20:33:13

Rhovari was still as old and worn like the last time we visited it, but the city is better organised now. Electric wires were set up across the town, and so is water. Food was still only enough to make ends meet for them though, and as a result we had to carry our own rations.

"No pirates or bounty hunters so far." Said Numa as we walked along the street, with farmers and civilians glancing at us every once a while. "Wish there're cars on Ryloth. Could've just waited in there instead of walking around pointlessly." I commented.

"Well there're no roads for whatever vehicle of your planet's here." Returned Numa. "Besides, I like staying on high ground better." She added.

We reached an alley minutes later, with piles of garbage that can support our weight for climbing up. Numa jumped on first, and pulled me up after getting a foothold on the roof made out of metal sheets. The city was so quiet right now, it was almost like we're the only ones making noises.

"Anything on your scope?" I asked after spotting nothing with my binoculars. "Nothing so far. Wait a minute...do you hear that?" A low and muted hum of engines caught my attention. I turned to my right, where the sound originated, but there was nothing, except a breeze of dust flying off the ground.

"Speak of the devil, a speeder approaching, 3 o'clock. Two Weequays." I announced, after discovering why the dust went flying. "Keep an eye on them." I said to Numa, who was adjusting her scope for a magnified view on the guests. "Hey you see these guys? Well armed people. Probably mercs." Numa whispered.

My muscles grew tense for the next half an hour as we observed the Weequays strolling around the city. A normal person would just dismiss them as travellers, but Numa's finger was poised on the trigger, ready to blow their heads off if she has to.

"They're headed back for their speeders. Just calling someone. Looks like they're good." Said Numa. But as she said that the rumbling sound of a convoy of speeders denied her statement. "No. They're calling reinforcements." I hurriedly activated my comlink and got Cham on the line. "General Syndulla. At least twenty tangos gathering at...shit, they're taking civilians. It's happening, sir!"

"Then shoot back. No mercy." Cham's voice ordered from the other end to both of us. "Copy that. Fire at will!" I said. Almost instantly a loud buzz rang from Numa's rifle, followed by a thud and screams in languages I don't understand. I grabbed my customised DC15 off the roof and fired a series of single shots into the Weequays, causing smoke and dust to fly off the floor.

My aim was certainly improving, and good enough to convince me to use single shots whenever I can. But fighting the Weequays was no walk in the park either, and neither side was gaining ground. I managed to pick off another Weequay after Numa scored another kill, and just before four of them ran off to breach into the residents' houses.

"Shit, they've got past us. I'm going down there!" I said and leaped off the roof, in search of the Weequays and possibly other gangsters I didn't see earlier. "Noted. Stay safe!" Numa replied quickly as she fired another round. I swiftly checked my corners and proceeded down the street. My hands were sweating badly, and the Weequays were nowhere to be seen. And the only way I could trace them was by the desperate screams of twi'lek girls and the sound of blaster fire.

The streetlights set up in the city stood beside me, with some shattered by the crossfire. As I made a left where I could hopefully intercept the Weequays I heard elders and children frantically closing their doors. Some even sabotaged the lock to buy themselves time. I didn't have the time to care, and especially not when the silhouettes of the Weequays emerged around the corner.

I shot one of them, alarming the rest that this was no get in, get out, get paid operation. _They're gonna have to kill us first._ I thought as I fired another burst towards them, wounding another in the process. A third stuck his blaster out, but as he fired I grabbed the gun by the barrel and knocked it out of his hands, forcing the two standing Weequays to take on me knife to knife.

 _Here's hoping my practice runs with Numa pays off._


	25. Chapter 25

Author note: This chapter is inspired by both 13 Hours and The Raid. In other words, violence. Don't try this at home:).

* * *

'A Long, Long Night'

Day 82-22:37:49

Cpl. Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

East Rhovari, Ryloth

The Weequay drew his vibroblade and tried to stab me, but I know just how to stop him. I swiftly paced sideways and caught his arm in my iron grip, and jabbed his face with my elbow covered with a piece of clone armour.

He was almost instantly disorientated, allowing me to knock him off his feet and send him landing on his head. The last Weequay struck me with a machete, and barely missed off my shoulder plate, putting another scratch on it.

I bent my leg and hooked his right, throwing him off balance and allowing me to snap his arm. And with all the rage inside me, I elbowed him in the head, as many times as I could until the other Weequay came round and started assaulting me again.

He launched his fist forward and tried to punch me. I had to do a backflip to dodge, and as I got back on my feet I noticed the machete was now in his hands. He sprinted forward, lifting his arms as high as he can and tried to chop me, but I was faster, and managed to draw my knife and alter his course as he swung the sharp blade down at me.

I renewed my grip on my knife, with its blade now facing downwards. The Weequay gangster swung his blade left and right, scarring my vest and keeping me from whipping out my sidearm and finish him off. I tackled him moments later, and pushed him up against the wall with all my strength. He tried his best to get me off, but it's no use. My clone vest was more than enough to take punches, not to mention when the gangster fighting me was particularly weak.

I shouted out, and threw him over my head, leaving him collapsing to the ground. The Weequay made a last ditch attempt to recover, but unfortunately he met his end when I finished him with my DC15.

It was my turn to me on an adrenaline rush. I hurriedly sprinted down the widely spread stairs, in search of the twi'leks they've already taken.

Sgt. Numa Bril

This is probably even worse than the Clone Wars. Weequays are all over the place, and even worse, I think some of them are wearing Black Sun patches. As much as I trust my skills as a sniper, I can only hold them off for so long. They've already tried taking girls away three times, and I'm starting to think that I've got their attention.

Without warning humans and Zabraks joined the battle. Some of them were obviously bounty hunters who were looking for a servant, while others were no more than goons of the Black Sun simply looking for a payday.

I had to roll myself to the other side of the roof to keep myself from getting hit. Once I made it there I saw a Zabrak merc trying to make a run for the buildings. I rotated my rifle, and fired a single laser round at his back, sending him falling over face first.

I shifted my attention back to the main horde gathered at the east entrance and reset my aim. I pulled down the trigger, and immediately a blue energy bolt ejected from the barrel of my rifle, followed by the burst of blood vessel of a human merc. I repeated on a Zabrak, and scored a direct hit, like the last eleven shots I fired minutes ago.

I noticed a pack of mercs pacing backwards, followed by the rest. One by one the gangsters and goons retreated out of sight, under the heat Ion and I lay on them. I spotted Ion on my scope, and decided to raise him through my conlink. "All clear." I declared as Ion stepped into the crosshairs of my scope. "Affirmative. But they'll be back, make no mistake. Time?" He requested.

"23 hundred. Sharp." I replied and stood up cautiously to stretch. "We better call Gobi, or we're not gonna survive the night." He suggested.

I couldn't agree more. I had to shift my position three times just to kill fifteen of those Black Sun operatives, and I'm starting to wonder if I need to find another rooftop to snipe them if this keeps up. Besides, half the town was already startled by the skirmish. "You're right I should. By the way what's the sitrep down there?" I asked.

"20 plus KIA. They're Black Sun all right. They got Empire weaponry. E-11s, 22s, frags. Do you think the imps are behind all this?" I was staring down my scope when he chimed in. "Doesn't matter. We're getting them off our planet anyway." I replied.

Cpl. Ion

Fifteen minutes has passed since the first wave of kidnappers hit the town. While I was trying to talk some sense into the elders that refused to fall back, Numa was scanning the eastern gate for enemy presence. I couldn't understand a word they're saying, since I never got to learn Twi'leki, and I had to switch positions with Numa.

"Spectre 2-3, this is 2-1." An old but pleasant voice piped up as we hardwired the town's defenses with a few armed farmers. "We're approaching from the north west. Check your fire." Gobi demanded. Shortly after a Gozanti-class transport emerged from the skyline, only it wasn't painted in black with a Black Sun logo on it, it was an imperial variant. And as it hovered down the surface its elevator lowered, revealing a most encouraging sight of a squad of eight commando droids.

"BX clankers reporting for duty. How was life down there?" Xira asked through comms. The droids jumped out, and immediately one of them with a white stripe on its head marched towards me. "What are your orders, sir?" He asked with a dull and seemingly cold voice.

"Primary objective: Defend this town." I turned my volume to make sure the teal sniper could hear me. "Numa! You're the big boss here. Where do you want me to put them?"

She turned at me as the villagers she confronted ran off and disappeared in the distance. "They got dark skin, and the mercs have no idea they're here. Keep them here, but out of plain sight. We'll ambush them." She answered and rushed up the rooftops, where she could make the most out of her skills.

"Harris. Send red alert to Chimera. We gotta hit them with the fighters." I ordered. "Yes sir." My classmate replied. "This is Javelin 0-3 to Chimera station. How copy, over?" He asked after changing frequency of his comms, while still allowing me and Numa to listen to their communication.

I've only been to moon of Chimera once, after Numa and I successfully pulled off an assassin job in Lessu. And believe me, the experience was not as pleasant as Gobi and Xira says. I had to engage in a dogfight for the first time in my life(the one when I first came to Ryloth doesn't count to me), and that alone was enough to give me nightmares, not to mention taking a cruiser in zero gravity. Faylin is now in charge of the moon base up there, with half of my classmates there under her command.

"This is Chimera command. I copy. Send traffic." The other end replied seconds later. "Send red alert to Chimera station. Spectre unit is requesting air support. We need your TIEs airborne. Over." Said Harris. "Copy red alert. Interceptors inbound. Ten minutes max. Out." Returned a battle ready Faylin.

"Get to your stations, people! I think they're coming back!" Gobi ordered moments later, and the droid captain headed to his position, but was stopped when I pulled him by his metallic shoulder. "You watch your fire, there're civilians here. Use stun if you have to, don't risk it." I requested.

"Roger roger." The captain simply replied, and continued to his post.

* * *

I was hiding at the rooftops of one of the very few well-constructed dwellings in Rhovari, with its residents now gone and at the other side of the city, near the airfield Numa and I raided sometime ago. The imperials have withdrawn from the city, after Gobi and the newbloods conducted a full-scale assault during Christmas.

Numa has found a new sniping position just two buildings away from her original overwatch. Right now she, and my eyes, are scanning the sand dune cautiously for the Black Sun's retaliation. "Damn it. Who the hell are these guys?" She asked all of a sudden. I could only assume she spotted the second wave of attackers headed to us. "Who the hell is what?" I returned, after seeing nothing in front of me but a big pile of sand.

"What is this? Red Mando armour, heavy armoured troopers, and...oh...oh they're really pissed." She stammered. I peeked out of the short concrete wall, just soon enough to see a repulsor tank and a convoy of twenty speeders slowing down just outside the perimeters of the town. "They're super commandos. Under the command of Gar Saxon." I explained briefly and aimed at one of the red Mandalorians. "I got the one in the middle." I reported.

"I'll take the Falleen on the left. Commandos pick your aim. Don't overlap with ours." Ordered Numa. I pulled down the trigger, and so did the others. After that, all hell broke loose. Falleen troopers and Mandos were all over the place, either dead or firing bursts relentlessly at us, with Weequay speeders running into the city every five seconds.

"Droids, do it now!" I yelled, after I missed a sixth speeder flying past just under my nose. I couldn't tell how the droids were holding up, but from the way the Weequays are screaming, I could guess they'll get the job done, for now. A Falleen caught my attention, and without hesitating I aimed my carbine at his head and fired, sending him pacing backwards with blood coming out of his wound.

But apparently a single DC15 round isn't gonna do anything, other than making them angrier. "These guys got some tough armour!" I commented, possibly encouraging one of the droids to advance and cut down another Zabrak Black Sun operative. It even engaged one of the super commandos in a wrestling fight, but I was too busy to watch it. "No shit. And so does the bloody tank!" Replied Numa desperately.

She managed to cut down another super commando before the tank opened up on us, blowing a hole in one of the improvised buildings a few steps above and leaving a commando droid exposed to fire. Another human mobster targeted the droid, but with the combined force of the droid's weapon and mine, she was forced to fall back and eventually wounded by the droids red laser bolt.

 _Gobi might be in trouble as well._ I suddenly realised. And before I knew it I was raising Gobi and Xira with my comms. "Gobi, sir. We're encountering considerable resistance over here. How's it going on your side?" I asked, but not without increasing my volume due to the clashes and blaster fire around me. "I'm having fun over here. This Z-6 shreds!" He replied excitedly.

I couldn't get the same kind of excitement, however. And neither could Numa. She was already having cramps forcing her elbow against the metal sheets, and having to snipe hordes of Shadow Collective reinforcements certainly wasn't helping. "Watch yourself 2-3. I'm seeing rocket guys from here. Engaging." She said, just before a series of single blue laser shot out from my far right, downing several mercenaries just outside the perimeter.

"Still 100% accuracy, huh?" I teased, in hope of making the battle less of a shitfest. "Nah. More than sixty is enough to please me." She replied. But right there and right then, a rocket flew out of nowhere and landed just below her vantage point, followed by a red laser round, only this time it was headed to the compound right under my feet.

I must've passed out for at least a few minutes. I was half conscious now, with a piece of wood at the size of my thumb lodged into my forearm. I had to pull it out to keep fighting, even though the medical procedures taught by the underground society I used to be in would urge me not to. I pieced together a bandage, with whatever I found inside my medkit, and sprinted out into the open and towards Numa's position.

But as I advanced down to the field a commando droid with grenades strapped on its hips stopped me, and gave me one of his silver balls. "That's a smoke. I'll cover your movement. Ready?" It asked, and I nodded quickly in response, not wanting to lose any more time. I counted to three with my fingers, and tossed the ball right into the middle of the frenzy, leaving it spraying white smoke in all directions.

The commando droid stood up, and fired at the mercs dug in just 30 meters away. I somersaulted halfway and sprinted the rest, while firing covering bursts at the incoming mercs in the process. My wound hurts, but so must Numa's.

I made a beeline for the building she was on, and crouched down once I approached her. She lay on the ground, with debris from the explosion all over her brown and yellow light vest. I really didn't have the room for concerning over private parts right now, since I have no idea where her wounds are or what exactly is the right thing to do.

Without warning something wrapped itself around my neck, and the next thing I know, I was pushed onto the ground, with something as heavy as myself crushing on me. The silhouette on top of me raised its fists was ready to strike. But perhaps it was my face that made it stop.

"What are you doing here?" Asked a familiar feminine voice as the figure lowered its fist and helped me up. "I saw you get hit by a rocket." I replied as a third figure ran its way into the alley I was in. This time a hostile human. "Look out!" I instinctively shouted as the male figure raised his fist and barely missed me by the face.

I returned him by unleashing multiple blows in the stomach with my right elbow. He desperately slammed his free hand on my vest, which only urged me to grab his arm and swing him against a metal sheet wall, leaving a large dent on it.

At last he was finished off when I drew my sidearm and fired two shots in his head. I turned to Numa, who was still trying to step forward without collapsing. I didn't speak to her when I helped her, though, and instead I shouted at my comlink for air support that should've arrived five minutes ago.

But as I made my way out of the maze of narrow alleys a yellow blotch emerged in the distance, and disappeared with more yellow fireballs appearing near it. The sound of TIEs accompanied the symphony of explosions, somehow making me pant in relief. Repainted TIE interceptors joined the battle, along with a squadron of three Weequay saucers.

"Spectre 2-2, this is Javelin 0-2. Did we miss the party?" Asked one of the TIE pilots. "On the contrary you're just on time. We'll help you with the saucers, just everything you got on their ground troops! We're getting torn apart down here!" Numa replied. "Ion take care of yourself. I can still fight." She ordered.

I was hesitant at first, but she outranked me, and in the middle of a deadly fight I didn't see any reason not to trust her instincts. "I'll do it the old fashioned way." She assured and pulled out her DC15 carbine. "All right. Watch yourself." I simply replied and headed to the other side of the battlefield, approaching a pack of Weequays returning to their ship with their 'prize'.

My primary was burned out of ammo and there was no time to reload, and with my aim with a pistol even worse than a stormtrooper, it appears that I'm gonna have to fistfight my way out of this.

I drew my knife and tightened my fists. Somebody's gonna have a very bad day.


	26. Chapter 26

'Bane'

Day 82-23:55:57

Cpl. Ion

Free Ryloth Movement

East Rhovari, Ryloth

The symphony of tank cannons and blaster fire only intensified as I sprinted up the curved street, with me and my knife on one side and several Weequays with at least three twi'lek girls on the other. The Weequays were as prepared as I was, but before they could make a charge at me a figure with a cowboy hat and a trench coat stopped them, and gestured them to clear a path for him.

 _Cad Bane. Finally, out of the shadows._ I could barely see what he had, let alone his face. But that's not changing my rules of engagement. One way or another, he's gonna have his ass kicked badly. He wasn't planning to take me head on, though. Instead he took one of the twi'leks from the Weequays, and started opening up on me with his customised pistol.

I had to duck into an alley to keep myself from getting shot. On the other hand, his sudden move was also his biggest mistake. I've been spending time in the range since the day I realised Numa was such a skilled sniper, and I wasn't about to fall behind. I didn't do this to impress her though(in fact I never will, and if I did want to, I have countless other ways), I was just doing this, so if someone like Saxon or Thrawn messes with me personally one day, I'll be ready.

Bane's blaster fire gave me a chance to reload my DC15, the one weapon I've mastered in my life. I swiftly rolled out of my hiding spot, and dropped all four Weequays once I rotated myself upright. To my surprise none of the civilians were shot, and the lifeless bodies of the Weequays plummeted on the ground in sync.

Say I'm cold, but I didn't feel bad for the Weequays, at all. _They're slavers after all._ And I'm just doing my job. The twi'leks made a run for it, which Bane couldn't care less, since I was going guns blazing on him. He dodged the first few shots, but eventually I managed to hit him on his forearm.

He snarled in frustration, probably really mad as well, and pounced on me all of a sudden. He activated his boot rocket and launched several tremendous kicks on my face. My glasses were still intact, but my sights certainly was taking a beating. They were rendered marginal, and all I could do was thrust my elbows downwards blindly, hoping for Bane to break off his attack.

Eventually we both fell, with me lying on the ground, trying to recover and Bane crouching and tapping the buttons on his wrist guard a few meters away from me. I managed to get back on my feet, just before the Duros threw another punch at me. _He's tougher than I thought._ I thought as his fist landed on my forearm. I extended my leg and fired a series of blows into his stomach and face, forcing him to back away and allowing me to regain superiority.

But as I advanced and tried to take him down I found out what Bane's wrist buttons were for, the hard way. I felt a thud on my neck, and the next thing I knew there was a super commando on top of me, throwing punches that barely missed me left and right.

His advantageous position gave way to his under-carriage, though, and I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. I launched a salvo of fists between his legs, but apparently his armour was resistant to that as well, and my hits were practically no effect.

He was about to fire a final sendoff when he was suddenly strangled from behind. He tried to retaliate, but he stood no chance, as the attacker was able to slit his throat with a military knife and send him tumbling to the rock surface. I raised my hand to gesture for help, but instead of getting pulled up, the attacker dashed past me, and launched a side kick into Bane's arm, sending his pistol flying off his palm.

 _Well, guess I owe one to Numa._

Bane was forced away from me, allowing me to reach for my rifle and aim at the fighting pair for a clear shot. I was beaten up bad, but at least I can still aim sharp. I never took the shot. Bane was eventually defeated and pressed on the ground, with several E-5s and a DC17 pointed at his face, followed by several continuous shots and the Duros' death screams.

The droids made short work of the last of the mercenaries. In a moment's notice they're either dead or forced to retreat under the cover of the Weequay gunships. A TIE interceptor spun around and fired a barrage of green laser bolts at its round surface, punching holes on it and inevitably sending it spinning and crashing to the desert surface.

Soon several Gozanti-class transport emerged from the darkness, with the three TIEs behind and firing upon them. One of the ships emitted a fireball from the back of it, and gradually lost altitude, leaving the disabled ship crashing some miles away.

I never bothered to get up or finish off the Black Sun gangsters, until Numa came over and lent me a hand. The view was just too great, and my muscles were too devastated to support my body mass.

 _We kicked their ass tonight._

* * *

05:54:31

I spent the rest of the midnight patching myself and some unfortunate civilians up, while the commando droids, led by Gobi, hunted down the remains of the hostile raiding party. By dawn we've mopped up everything we could've done, and we're supposed to expect the arrival of more of our ground forces by noon.

I leaned at the wreckage of the tank that nearly tore me and the droids apart, with a body on its turret and Numa standing beside me. "Surprised I'm fine, even after getting blown up." She commented. "And I'm surprised we even lived. Considering the circumstances." I replied.

"You actually doubted yourself?" She asked, knowing that being unconfident was not my usual trait. "A little, when that rocket came flying at you, and when that tank fired on me." I answered flatly. "Well we're still here. And they won't be messing with us no more." Said Numa as she raised her arm upright with her fingers curled up into a fist, gesturing for a fist-bump, a move that differs from all kinds of hand signs in one way: both twi'leks and humans have developed this gesture of friendship long ago, and no language barriers or that sort of thing.

I eagerly returned and our hands collided as the sun rose from the horizon, painting the sky in a lovely violet.

 _This just really made my day._

Six months later...

Bane's death has been a shock to underworld society of the galaxy, and it has went viral ever since we dragged his body to the Hutt clan associated with him as a display of strength. We might've stirred up a hornet's nest, though, because now the Empire has hired a lot more bounty hunters to flush us out.

A lot other things has happened since the battle of Rhovari. Black Sun has declared war on us, along with several other gangs that felt we're jeopardising the profits, under the support of some Zabrak that calls himself Maul. But that wasn't a problem we couldn't handle.

The Movement was better organised now, and the days of multitasking was officially over. Different platoons of different tasks were formed. Some were on guard duty, while others like Javelin or Spectre were specialised in aerial and ground combat.

We've also gained a handful of X-wings, after Phoenix Squadron judged them to be unfit for their tactics and traits and decided we might be able to make use of them. And now Faylin was training me and a couple of other Movement soldiers that had a deathwish, hoping that more and more people will be flying for the Movement.

But my hands were tied right now and I had to cease my training in the cockpit of my X-wing, since the annual Reincarnation was coming(at least in the eyes of Cham and his consultants), and it was our duty to stop this madness.

A lot of other twi'leks haven't taken the news too well either, but Numa was especially down when Cham first mentioned it, and I'm the only person that knows exactly why. While I tried comforting her time to time, I still know well that we have to make that day count, because Cham said that day is the one and probably the only chance to show the slavers the twi'leks aren't a race to mess with.

I'm no twi'lek, but I saw that day as a big day as well, for different reasons. _Slavery. Mind control. It's these shitty times that made the galaxy such an inhabitable place_. I want to give everyone a chance to live their lives freely, without the Empire controlling over them.

This is what I'm here for.

Unfortunately Fulcrum hasn't contacted us in ages since he alerted us that he'll be transferred to Scarif, and that hasn't gotten into my nerves until now. _He better be still alive._

"Hey Ion!" I was snapped out of my thoughts when Xira shouted my nickname behind me. I found myself standing on the far left of the wreckage of the Y-wing, where i could get a glimpse of the Tann Province. "What're you doing out here? I thought you might be having a date with Numa!" She teased, causing me to frown and groan under my mask.

"We don't need one. We can see each other everyday." I snapped, hoping she came for more practical reasons than making fun of me. "You must be making progress then. Tell me, how's life with her going?" She asked playfully and punched my shoulder.

I sighed in frustration. Xira's always been the rather annoying brat(even if she's thirty-ish) when outside combat zone. But I couldn't do anything about it, since she and Harris have become invaluable hackers and programmers in the Movement. "Can we talk about this tonight? I've got other things to worry about." I demanded.

"Let me guess, Black Sun?" Xira's voice turned from mischievous to doubtful as I finished my sentence. I nodded, and told her everything Crynyd said when he called me yesterday, even about a loose Togruta that's on the run from Maul. "You know what?" Xira asked all of a sudden, catching me off guard.

"I'll let you off the hook, for now." She replied and turned away, but not without saluting me informally with two fingers, which I nodded in return. I turned back to the sunset I was looking at, and turned the volume of the music coming from my headset higher, isolating myself from the world temporarily.

 _Rest while you still can soldier._


	27. Chapter 27

'Ahsoka Tano'

Day 265-07:11:23

Cpl. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Approaching Coruscant, RAS Sparta

The war with the Black Sun rages on, with tougher and smarter enemies challenging us every time. It's getting painful and gruelling, and Numa and I agreed that we had to intensify our CQC training, after learning the Maul Crynyd talking about was in fact once a Sith.

There was no room for fear, even if some of the members of the Movement proposed a truce with the Black Sun, which we Spectres angrily rejected with the general backing us. Looks like _Cham agrees with me on something, for once._

We've learned mistakes from our past, and now the entire platoon knows going against Maul with blasters just isn't gonna make the cut. I guess it's about time I realised what the op in Germany was for, the op where we stole a shipment of electrostaff materials.

By now half of Europe was Phoenix territory, with the front pushed to France and Russia. But Sato told us we had to go somewhere else, see into Coruscant, the heart of imperial territory, to find a runaway rebel that's only known as Ashla, the Togruta Sato told us that might just help us even the odds against Maul.

I sat uneasily on a cart used to transport supply crates, daydreaming and wondering how it's really like to fight a Sith. _We'd better find Ashla before Maul does, or we're in some deep shit._

Fortunately we're accompanied by eight more commando droids which have been altered for hand-to-hand combat, but I doubt if they're gonna be of any help, at all. "Sir, may I ask you a question?" I was interrupted when Mesh came up to me. Mesh was one of the villagers we recruited after the battle of Rhovari. He was around my age, only he looked more like a fully grown adult than a teen fed up with mind control.

He was at his final stages of his trials, and this was his last mission before he can carve his name in the war room. I could tell he stayed in urban districts during the trials, though, because he wore significantly less armour than me or Numa.

"Sure. What is it?" I asked without even blinking. "Sorry for being rude, but what exactly is the logic behind these 'trials'? Shouldn't general Syndulla just increase matches with those commando droids?" He said.

"You don't just avoid stormtrooper aim to be a good soldier, Mesh. Knowing how to survive alone with little resources matters as well. Especially when captured or going off-world." I explained. "I didn't understand it when I was first here too, soldier." I assured and extended my arm to Mesh's rather skinny shoulder. _Yup. He must've found the trials a huge challenge for him._

"Better brush up your hand-to-hand combat too. You might run into a Sith someday." I warned sternly before leaving for the Nu-class shuttle parked between the prongs of the cruiser, where half the Spectre platoon was waiting and arming themselves.

Some of them decided to cover up their weapons with pirate jackets or trench coats, while others, like me and Numa, simply left them be, and we'd tell the people we're bounty hunters if someone ever questioned us.

I was greeted by several other soldiers of our platoon as I headed to the interior of the shuttle with Mesh behind me. Numa and Gobi were already inside, instructing the other soldiers on taking control of the commando droids if they have to. "Wrong end. That's for charging. The one on the right is linking." I heard Numa's voice ring up from the other end of the ship, where another twi'lek soldier(Spectre 2-6 to be precise)stood beside the commando droids, with the M4 I found and a couple of other firearms lying beside them.

"Mornin' Numa." I said and patted her shoulder, while looking at her with a evil grin on my face. "Please tell me you weren't the one snoring like crazy last night. I stayed up half the night." I joked, which ended up with my ribcage poked by her as a return. "Hell no, I don't snore. That's Go..." I covered up her mouth with my gloved palm before she could finish her sentence. I knew her well enough to know who she's gonna blame, and judging by the victim's rank, it's not gonna end well for both of us if I didn't put a stop on it.

"He's gonna have you murdered if he hears you, sis." I whispered, just quiet enough to keep Mesh or anyone else from hearing us. It's not like calling her that is the best idea, but following standard military protocols was far worse, and dull.

I was interrupted when Gobi went to the front end of the shuttle and broadcasted to the crew. "Everyone listen up! Especially those newbies!" He ordered, and in less than an instant the only sound we could hear was the muffled noise of Sparta's engines running. "Do not be mistaken people. This mission may last just as long as your trials." Warned Gobi.

"As you all know, we're here to recover an informant called Ashla, with some Terran help. But there's more than that. We're not the only ones after her. The Black Sun leader known as Maul has a price on her head as well, and we need to be faster than him. May I remind you that the information Ashla is carrying can crush the Black Sun. We don't know how, but that doesn't make finding her any less important. Am I understood?" He continued with his arms crossed, his eyes staring at us like a CCTV.

"Yes sir!" We shouted out in unison, and returned to our posts after Gobi dismissed us. "This informant better know some Jedi out there." Numa tilted her head over my ear and whispered worriedly. "Damn right. I'm really not sure about fighting a Sith with blasters either." I replied, even though my mind was saying otherwise. I've ran into many people good at CQC, and I've even defeated some of them. And if my running speed is that high(in fact that's how Numa remembers my name, I'm just too fast), why would Maul be any different?

"Those armour and melee weapons from Phoenix Squadron better work." Numa said as she paced around the small compartment of the shuttle in laps, twitching her lekku every few steps. I had to grab her by both shoulders and feed her with a little white lies to calm her nerves down. "Hey, we're not gonna let some red bladers make fun of us. We trained ourselves for this, right?" I tried to assure her, though calming a girl down is always easier said than done.

Numa finally managed to smile slightly after hesitating for a few seconds. "You're right." She said and returned to an empty seat in the shuttle, after picking up her sidearm from the weapons stash at the back of the shuttle. Surprisingly she wasn't bringing her DC15s, probably because the underworld police are quite sensitive when they see twi'leks that are armed to the teeth.

We jumped out of hyperspace some 100 kilometres away from the surface of Coruscant, just far enough to keep the blockade guarding the city planet from picking us up on their radar. I felt a jolt from below as the shuttle detached from the Sparta, and before we knew it the blockade was hailing us.

"Unknown shuttle, please identify yourself. We will not ask again." Demanded an imperial officer as the shuttle hovered nearer every second. Time was running out, and I can bet Gobi, who's flying the shuttle, is having a really hard time to convince the imps.

It was dead air inside the compartment for minutes, and it wasn't until then did I get scared. I couldn't tell if Gobi was actually replying or not, but either way things are not looking good.

"Attention Nu-class shuttle, you are clear. Do not deviate from your current course." The Imperial officer finally announced, relieving us from the dreadful fear of getting blown out of the sky or pulled by a tractor beam. Before I knew it, the shuttle has approached the surface, with its ramp open and several cables stretching out of it, signalling us to rappel down and work our way to the street levels.

"Spectre 2-2 to 2-5, this is your stop. May the Force be with you." Said Gobi as I hopped out of the craft and slid down the cable.

* * *

The noise of pop music and chatting in a thousand languages combined was sure a lot louder than what I expected, and it's really doing something to my concentration. I've already had two cups of booze just to make myself less conspicuous, but so far the only Togrutas I can see are either male or too revealing to be Ashla.

I wasn't making a lot of progress, but I'm pretty sure Numa was. I've had to flick my safety switch on my DC17 at least ten times just to make sure the young men talking to her were harmless. A Nikto in a khakis jacket plopped down on the round chair beside me, and ordered a whole bottle of whiskey, leaving the bartender searching with a confused face.

"You lost another fistfight, Igor?" The bartender joked. "I wish it was!" The Nikto called Igor grumbled and slammed his fist on the table. "Got a ticket from the Empire, and that's twice in a week!" He continued.

I've never gotten penalty tickets from anyone, but a lot of grown-ups around me sure did. And believe me, some of them totally deserved it. _This might be my opportunity to see what he knows too._ "Must've hurt." I chimed in, hoping Igor wouldn't go too rough on me.

"I'll get over with it. With a drink or two." He replied, and swallowed half of the bottle in just a few seconds. "Meh. You might cheer up a little bit if I told you they got their asses kicked on Raada. You know where that is?" I said, while secretly trying out some psychological tricks exclusive to military people to improve my chances to extract something to him.

 _Glad I spent time with Numa, because some of these tricks were actually developed when I was chatting with her._

"No." Igor hesitated for a while before getting back to where he left off. "How did you know that? I hate bucketheads but their brainwashing sure is impressive." He asked in surprise, while putting down his whiskey and turned his attention at me and the people instead.

"Trust me. I know a lot more than that. In fact, they lost to a single Togruta, if I haven't mistaken." I said, hoping to get him to spill something out without him noticing. _Can't be too careful about double-crossing these days._ I heard Igor mutter something under his breath, before he raised his head once more. "Then I'd like to meet him, someday. The Empire's really getting on my nerves." He complained and took another round of his whiskey.

I grinned under my mask, now pulled up and covering my face as it always does. "You heard of Ahsoka Tano? The rogue Jedi?" Asked Igor. "I think so. You think it's her?" I returned.

"I don't know. But if you're looking for Togrutas, this is the wrong district. It's the opera house." Replied the Nikto as he finished the rest of his whiskey, soaking the top of the bottle and spilling a few drops on the table. I got up and scanned the pub quickly as a pair of drunk imperial officers made their way into the narrow entrance. "Thanks for the help." I greeted before taking off and alerting Numa and the other pair of Spectres somewhere in the district of my find.

"Gobi. Sir." I whispered as I strolled away from the blinding lights of the middle of the floor and towards Numa. "I've got a name. Ahsoka Tano. She's somewhere around the opera house."

"Copy that. Be ready to take control of the probe droid when you get there. I'm pulling you guys out."

 _Yet another trip into the unknown, I guess._


	28. Chapter 28

'May We Meet Again in the Afterlife'

Day 271-20:21:44

Sgt. Numa Bril

Spectre platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Galaxies Opera House, Coruscant

I discreetly headed towards the arc of spotlights on the side of the opera house, with Ion next to me and a couple of other soldiers following behind me. This was where we're supposed to link up with our Terran support, and collect our lightsaber-resistant armour and weapons in case Maul decided to pay Ahsoka and us a visit.

A VCX-100 freighter landing some distance away caught my attention. There wasn't much of a paint job on it, but I could tell it wasn't a regular civilian ship, as the people flooding out of the ramp weren't just guys in tuxedos, but broad grunts with crammed duffel bags behind them. Besides, I know that my peer mentor has a ship just like that.

 _That's our support all right. Hope they know how long it took to narrow down the searching area._

We walked up to each other, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of a Terran fire team, with practically identical blue shirts and dirty cargo pants, in addition to their duffel bags with an obvious military marking, meaning they used to be property of the United States Army. Except one, who had a green fleece and a set of heavily customised armour on his right arm. He also kept his hair, and even had a ponytail behind his brain, unlike the majority of the Terran squad who were all bald.

 _They're sending their best guys too. Looks like they're aware of Maul as well._

"This bag's yours. Don't put it on in public." A blond man with a tough build said as he handed me a bag filled with our equipment, while the soldier in green gave Lubo(Spectre 2-5)her package. "And try not to lose it." He added and lead us to a series of elevators, where we could find a room to stay, monitor the activity outside and wait for Ahsoka(if what Ion found was solid)to show up.

I gotta admit, it's been a while since I was ever truly afraid, about death. In fact, the last time was already way back when I didn't know a damn thing about how to defend myself from slavers, and I was stupid enough to think nobody would try to mess with us ever again.

 _The Sith are back. And they're after you this time. There's no getting out._

I never bothered to look outside and enjoy the view like most of my comrades did when the turbolift leading to our place to stay for the night rushed down the opera building. _Since when was I such a 'fraidy?_ I've never feared anything like this in my life. Not even the Separatists.

What made matters worse was that everybody in this lift is about to pass away, just like the week when the lords of the Sith decided to toss out the trash in the outer rim, and left my home with hundreds of noble men and women dead and the evil having the time of their lives. And they didn't leave this galaxy in peace. They were slaughtered under the blades of a Sith. _They don't deserve that. Nobody here deserves that._

But I guess I'll have to keep it to myself. I can't let my fears jeopardise the mission, or take its toll on the team's morale, even if it's gonna cost me a big piece of myself.

After a few minutes the elevator decelerated, and came to a pause at the middle of the opera building. A muted hiss followed, revealing a bright and circular reception lobby. I only paid attention to its details after I convinced myself I was here on a mission, to recover an informant on the run from Maul and the Empire.

The floor was nicely cleaned and reflected the lights on the ceiling like a mirror, in addition to the reception where several silver protocol droids stood. I was surprised the expense for this op didn't already made the Movement bankrupt, and that's probably thanks to a fellow team from Javelin who raided an imperial vault during their trials.

Gobi was already waiting for us there, with his team tuning the probe droid we were going to use to find Ahsoka in the endless sea of people upstairs. Normally I would've paid close attention to everything I see or hear, but not this time, for some reason.

I tried. I did notice how everyone here's neatly dressed, the exact position of the air vents and vantage points I could use tomorrow, but unlike other times, fear was always trying to make its way into my head, and it's difficult to stop it.

 _C'mon! I'm a sergeant already! I can't be like this in front of all my men!_

That night Ion didn't even bother to eat anything from the restaurant just inside the hotel, or possibly from anywhere else, saying he wasn't hungry. And neither did I, only I was present, while Ion was hanging out in his room, probably practicing his fight moves or whatnot.

After a while I decided my appetite wasn't going to boost all of a sudden, and so I excused myself to head back up to our rooms, where Ion's probably already waiting. I took the stairs and headed to the floor above us, and as I opened the door to a corridor, I saw Ion standing at the middle of it, with his hands inside his pockets and his ears covered with his headset as always.

 _Can't believe he's still in the mood to enjoy the music. How is it that he's practically gotten immune to fear? Or is it me that is too afraid?_

But he wasn't listening to anything like I thought he would, because he heard me instantly, even though the noise I made when I opened the door and walked up to him was practically inaudible. "You don't look too well." He said.

"Shouldn't be surprised." I sighed, with the sensation of death still lingering in my lekku. "Only three people here truly know what a Sith is like. Gobi's seen too many deaths, you're fearless. And there's me: a little outlaw girl that's too afraid to die."

He simply lowered his head and apparently drowned himself into a deep processing inside his head, leaving me waiting impatiently for his answer. I inclined my head horizontally to get a glimpse at the clock around the corner and inside a room filled with washing machines and towels. It says roughly around 21:30, with a holographic date displayed under it.

"Can we talk inside?" Ion requested after moments of silence. Instead of replying, I simply nodded, and handed him the card-like keys for him to open the door of our room. Inside the room sat our new gear, on an unfolded chair next to a cabin with a holocaster fixed on top of it.

Ion extended his arm and switched on the lights hanging on top of the ceiling. In an instant everything that I missed to the darkness was revealed in front of me, though I didn't pay any attention to it. I just wanted some company, with this one guy that's like my family. My real family, not my biological one.

"Nobody can be fearless. I'm no exception." He simply said, without even bothering to look up. "Especially when it comes to death. Some people just respond differently from others." He paced towards the relatively small living room and plopped down on the sofa bed opposite to the holocaster.

"And as much as it might seem weird, I chose to accept it." His voice grew weaker as he spat out each word of his statement. His cold forearm stayed in position and his hands remained inside the pockets of his desert-coloured trousers, as cold and powerless like his voice right now.

"Because for a Terran...a Terran that has to live more than half his life with exam papers, swimming upstream in class and...missing all the fun in childhood...death isn't that bad anymore. It's a liberation." He said hazily, with a tone so unusual like he's about to burst into tears.

"Numa...Numa, can I tell you something? I might never have a chance if I don't." Ion extracted his arms from his pockets, and rested them on my hands. I couldn't tell for sure what's making a strong and usually emotionless person like him become so emotional all of a sudden, but if it's that big to him, then I probably should really hear it.

He didn't make a long speech or rewinded his past, instead he made it as short as just three simple words.


	29. Chapter 29

'Death is not an Answer'

Day 272-19:59:33

Cpl. Ion

Spectre platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Galaxies Opera House, Coruscant

They say a lot can happen in one night. Trust me, it can be true. While death takes away your life, it also takes away your fear, that is if one already knows it's coming.

I've decided I can't just let everyone die because my opponent has a lightsaber and superpowers, even if technically it isn't my responsibility. And if someone must go, it's me. I've seen enough dead souls in this galaxy. Now I impatiently wait at the entrance of the opera house with a data pad to control the reprogrammed probe droid, which I'm using to find Ahsoka. I'm not giving up on hope yet, and I'd very much like to find her first before I find Maul, or the other way around.

"It's not helping. I've scanned the entrance for three times. Nothing." I reported to Gobi frustratedly and zoomed out the lens of the probe with my data pad remote. I was getting worn out by the long periods, even though half of the time I was sitting on a bench, monitoring the droid's field of view.

"Scan again. She's gotta be here somewhere." Ordered my superior. I eventually decided I was taking the droid interior through my remote, and hope for the best. She better not make us die in vain.

The droid hovered above the crowd and past the ticket booth, avoiding the overhead lights and pipes in the process. The Movement technicians decided to retain its black paint job, and as a result it was practically invisible when it flew past the doorway leading to the theatre.

"Better pick up the pace corporal. Tell me you found something." Gobi complained impatiently from the other end. But before I could tell him I can't lie about my findings, Numa piped up from her vantage point several storeys above.

"2-1, I think I got something. 2-3, hold the droid there." She whispered. After about half a minute I finally found a place the rest the droid: an elevated gantry with curtains folded above it, allowing me to obtain a view of the entire house. Civilians and merchants of different species poured into the house, but to my disappointment none of them were even close to the description of Ahsoka.

Moments later I blinked, for staring at the screen for too long. But when I renewed my sights on the datapad, I noticed the droid picking up something suspicious, and its search results almost sent me jumping off the bench in excitement.

I zoomed in slowly to get a better view, and there she is: an orange-skinned Togruta with a crimson chest armour and a pair of handmade forearm plates. "Spectre 2-6, possible on Ashla. Move in to investigate." I commanded and altered the droid's eyeball to Mesh as he moved up by three rows and sat next to Ahsoka, while keeping an eye out for the Shadow Collective's presence.

"Spectre 2-6, is that her? If it is we're bolting now!" I demanded anxiously, with the sweat from my palms seeping out of my gloves. "Affirmative. But Maul's here too. She senses him. I suggest we evac ASAP!" He replied seconds later, and the next thing I knew, he was dragging Ahsoka out of the opera house like a father holding his little daughter's hand.

I never bothered to check what's making him forget the plans of bringing Ahsoka out of there discreetly, and I should've double checked. Because when I called the droid back and sprinted for the emergency exit about twenty yards from me, the newblood dashed out, with an old Dathomirian following close behind.

 _Maul. Looks like it's up to me from this point on._

The Dathomirian ignited his red lightsaber, alarming the crowd outside and sending them into a panic. They scattered in all directions as Maul raised his arm and was prepared to strike Mesh, but at the last moment I tossed whatever I could grab at him, and managed to knock his arm off course.

I knew using a blaster was never going to work, as a result I had to use the twin tanfas our comrades from Earth gave us last night. Surprisingly I managed to distract Maul, and gave Mesh and Ahsoka a precious chance to flee out of sight, but from the looks Ahsoka wasn't leaving me behind, because when I glanced back, she was holding one of her two lightsabers glowing in a bright white at a ready stance, with the other standing upright in Mesh's hands.

 _At least Mesh looks like he knows how to use it properly. We might just survive this._

But there wasn't any room to comfort myself. Maul was already spinning his red blade at my face, forcing me to take action and block his attack with the shorter end of my tanfas. I tried attacking his metallic legs to throw him off balance, but clearly Maul was faster, as he did nothing more than raising his leg swiftly to deflect my blow and earn himself a more favourable position to send me landing on my back.

Ahsoka noticed my trouble and powered herself up to launch a force push at Maul, emitting a large ball of only-a-jedi-knows-what and sending it hurtling at the ground Maul's standing on. Before I knew it Maul was flying over me, crashing into a speeder behind him and putting a massive dent on its right engine.

He spat angrily on the floor, and raged at Mesh, swinging his lightsaber in an unpredictable manner and forcing him backwards, and even Ashoka was having trouble keeping him at bay.

I rushed to them and made an attempt to trip Mail over, but I had to abort when Mesh suddenly repelled Maul's assault and pushed him backwards, leaving him to ram into my chest plate and sending both of us collapsing on the ground. We both got up at the same time, and the next thing I knew he was engaging me, roaring gibberish every so often.

"Mesh, you get Ahsoka out of here right at this instant!" I barked out, while pushing my arms upwards to keep Maul's saber from putting a scar on my face. "But we can't leave you behind, sir!" He replied almost immediately.

"Get out of here that's an order!" I yelled out without thinking twice, and soon Maul and I were the only ones still outside the opera house. We fought on and on, with neither side gaining ground at all. I was getting worn out by all the striking and blocking, but so was he, especially after draining his power supply with random force pushes and throwing various objects at me.

I was finally fed up with near misses and close calls with his force abilities, and decided the best course of action was to use explosives, after all a lightsaber can't block a grenade, can it?

I cooked every silver ball I can reach, but unfortunately all I did was putting a lot of concrete debris on Maul's face. _That must've hurt bad, and pissed him off too._ Because the next thing I knew, he was utilising all the dark power he can muster to push me against the wall, probably breaking a few bones of mine in the process.

I didn't know what I was thinking, but my instincts took over and drew my sidearm. No effect on target, as I already expected. And I sure was lucky to find out my bones were still intact, even after taking a slam equal to getting hit by Gobi's massive fist in the back without flinching.

The next thing I did was angrily ditching my DC17 and renew my grip on my twin tanfas, but this was when I discovered Maul didn't come to Coruscant alone. Soon I noticed the man that made my teenage years from bad to worse landing in front of my sights, with a few of his white-armoured entourage beside him, hovering just a few inches above the ground.

"He's all yours, commander Saxon. Keep him if you don't wish to kill him. He's no longer my concern." I couldn't hear what exactly the Dathomirian war criminal say, but that was the best I could come up with. Saxon tightened his fist and was prepared to give me a good beating, again, like he did at the spaceport's holding cell when he first caught me. But this time I was facing him with a few weapons and gimmicks up in my sleeve, and I managed to hold them back for a few minutes before one of them shot my shoulder pad with his carbine.

At this point I was way too angry and frustrated to go on, and I went ramming through the wall of Mandos without even letting my brain determine the success rate of such a bold manoeuvre. I ended up grabbing one of the white Mandos, and after sprinting for about fifty yards I threw him off my shoulder, and drew my tanfas to prepare for his counterattack.

He crossed paths with my weapons with his hand guard, but I was prepared for that, and I returned his move with a kick from below first, and another after he lowered his arms and exposing his head to my boot. Another propelled himself in the air, only this time I didn't have my sidearm to cover me, so instead I reversed my tanfa and struck his right leg as he touched down, in addition to the blow in the stomach I added later with my free arm.

But almost instantly I was hit by a blue energy bolt, not a lethal one, but the ones used to capture an individual alive. My energy level was instantly cut to half, however that didn't stop me from throwing my knife at a third Mandalorian's helmet.

I was too disoriented to see if my throw killed him or not, as Saxon fired another stun bolt at my neck, and ended in me lying flat on the ground with my eyes closed.


	30. Chapter 30

'Return To Sender'

Day 274-13:33:25

Cpl. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Unknown Shadow Collective warship

I had no idea how long was it since Saxon shot me with a stun bolt, but it must've been quite long, judging by the date on their ship's calendar. A Black Sun operative with a rather tough build stood in front of me with his arms crossed, along with a Lethan Twi'lek and another commander with red and white uniform.

"So tell me, Mr Rendar. How much do you know about extracting information? I bet you know a thing or two about them." Asked the commander. It didn't take a Jedi to figure out what that was. Saxon, and he's here for his unfinished business with me.

 _No matter how much it hurts, don't talk._

"More or less. But using violence isn't gonna work on him. I've seen his service record, and he's trained to handle stuff like that." Replied Rendar as my sights were finally piecing themselves back together. What separated him from all the grunts and lowlifes within the Black Sun was his

 _Another bounty hunter?_

"I'm pretty sure you can. I'm only here to make him return what he cost me." Saxon marched up to the operation table I was strapped onto, with something that looks like a saber on his hip. He ignited it, only the matter that omitted from it wasn't a blade of some sort, and glowed in yellow with electric fizzing every few seconds.

 _An electric whip. Now I'm getting worried._

The next thing I knew my under-carriage was practically on fire, followed by several devastating blows in the gut. He asked no questions and made no demands, unlike my expectations. He only tortured me for fun, and probably for getting him demoted.

"You know how your parents feel now, don't you?" Demanded Saxon. "They had a better childhood than I did. So I don't." I decided to be honest. After all this ain't interrogation, and there's no point to hide my grudge with my biological family.

Saxon sighed, and withdrew his light whip. "Still trying to act tough, huh?" He stepped away from the operation table before speaking to Rendar again. "Do your worst on him. You have my permission." He whispered before leaving the interrogation room, allowing Rendar to freely go through my phone, while all I could do was stare at him hopelessly as he went through the photos stored inside it.

Most of them were photos that Gobi and Xira used to make fun of me, but there was also one where it was just Numa and me, with my face as a mystery as always and her smiling shyly next to me. The only reasons I could tell was because the table was slightly inclined and Rendar was facing the screen towards me.

"Who is this?" He showed me the photo and asked sternly, but I simply lay on the table like a log, since the common practice of a criminal syndicate was to kill and dispose of a prisoner or even their own operatives after they're no longer useful.

"Friend?" I still decided not to response. It's the only way to prevent myself from leaking information unintentionally.

"I don't suppose it's your family either, or am I wrong?" He said again. _Just let him go on. My hours are numbered anyway._

He gently tossed my phone off the surface of his palm. It slid across the metal bench past the interrogation tools next to it, and came to a stop at the other end of it. "She's an expert marksman, right?" He asked as she crossed his arms, acting to be intimidating.

"Why would you want to know?" I finally answered by asking him back, hoping that I'll end up being the one to get answers, even though it's probably pointless to do so.

"There was an op on Ryloth six months ago, in a place called Rhovari. We're supposed to clean up some undesirables there, but then we're ambushed by snipers and an unarmed jedi, and now there's a scorch on my helmet. We never expected such precision and valor from some random Twi'leks." He replied, almost sounding like the battle was replaying in his head.

"So much for cleaning up undesirables on that one. You were among those defenders, right?" Rendar demanded before reaching for his pocket. "Are you just looking for an excuse to blow my groin into pieces?" I asked, the pain down there still lingering under my skin.

"So I know I'm helping the right person." To my surprise Rendar wasn't taking out some sort of instruments for torture, instead he revealed a set of auto-jigglers, the essential tool for breaking someone out of prison. His expression of intimidation also changed to a much more friendly face, with his precaution lowered as well.

"They lied to me. That was no standard operation, and I ended up doing my part in slavery. I'd very much like to redeem that." He stated and broke open the cuffs bounding my body on the table, and extended his arm to pull me up, which I accepted after hesitating for a few seconds.

He handed me an easily recognisable balaclava after I got back on my feet, along with a duffel bag filled with all my gadgets and gizmos except by weapon. "Gear up. It's yours again."

"Now beat me up." He requested sharply, but I saw no logic in such an act, and refused to force my hand into action. "I can't. If you truly want to get away from them, we need to stick together. It's our only chance to survive." I replied.

Apparently Rendar was a stubborn person, he answered by telling me Black Sun had sleeper agents watching his family's every move, a simple yet effective to keep the smuggler in check, and once again stressed that knocking him out is the only way to secure long term survival.

"That's exactly why you should leave. How about this?" I asked, and proposed my plan on extracting his family after we make our way off the Shadow collective warship. "Then this better be quick. You've seen what those mobsters are capable of." Rendar hesitated for at least a minute before answering me.

"I know. Where're the escape pods?" I whispered. "Nope. We'll have a better chance getting out with my ship." Rendar objected and led me out of the interrogation room, but not without checking the aisle to make sure the coast was clear. "And by the way, call me Dash. I prefer that."

I simply nodded to his request, and headed left as he instructed. A guard just happened to run into us, but with a few quick execution moves, he was reduced to dead weight in a matter of seconds. I wasted no time to search the Zabrak body, and came across an LL30 and a holodisk seconds later.

"Which way, Dash?" I asked anxiously, knowing I've finally earned my chance to get off the hostile warship. "Just keep going forward. This ship isn't as big as you think." He whispered as he spearheaded down the hallway, with me following close behind.

We're only meters away from an emergency stairwell when another patrol showed up. But just before we're about to engage one another head to head, the ground below me vibrated violently, followed by a series of sirens and alarms ringing throughout the whole ship.

It didn't stop me from fighting the patrol, though, and in less than half a minute two dead body was all that remained in the stairwell. There were only two reasons a siren on board a warship would be set off from my experience, and both of them are well in our favour in getting out.

"I don't think the attackers are planning to keep us alive." Dash commented as he took out another guard and headed down a hangar, where a YT-2400 was parked with gravity locks on either side of its landing gear. "And the gravity locks and those lowlifes guarding it aren't helping." I pointed and aimed my only weapon at them, alerting them of our presence.

"Let's just take'em all out first!" Moments later a Shadow collective goon fell on its knees, after Dash fired a red energy bolt at his head. I followed and gunned down another one of their gunmen, cutting their number to just five. "Watch your flank!" Warned Dash as he continued to fire at our opponents.

"Hey I got this all right?" I assured and fired at the pair holding out behind a gravity lock, keeping them from peeking out and ambushing me. One got impatient and poked his head out, only to get up close with the barrel of my LL30 and have his head blown off by a loud and sure blast.

I noticed Dash slowly pacing towards the opposite gravity lock, but before I could cover his movement in any way, a Black Sun operative jumped out of his cover and shoved me to the ground. I launched a kick towards him and managed to counter his attack, but I wasn't the only tough bastard on board, and before I knew it I was stuck in a fistfight with the goon only two meters away from me.

He attempted to jab me and extended his arm, allowing me to grab his forearm and use his momentum to get a solid grip on his stomach. I rotated my right arm with all the force I could muster, and sent him flying over my head, crashing into the floor behind me.

The goon tried to get up, but was stopped when I unloaded two more rounds at his head, killing him instantly. Almost immediately I heard an explosion from the other end of the hangar, startling both sides and sending debris flying above and into the YT vessel. What followed was completely out of my expectations: instead of hearing the ship falling apart in a series of explosions, I heard cries of goons and mobsters getting sliced in half by something I can't tell what it was until a togruta revealed herself at the bottom of the YT ship.

"And I was thinking I boarded the wrong ship." Said the togruta named Ahsoka Tano.


	31. Chapter 31

'A Favor Returned'

Day 274-13:28:45

Sgt. Numa Bril

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

RAS Tantive III, Lunar orbit

"With all due respect, commander Tano. But you need rest before you take any more operations." Commander Sato suggested, after hearing Ahsoka's plan of rescuing Ion from the Shadow Collective Fleet now spotted in the Nixus Sector. The war room on the Terran Resistance's ship was a lot dimmer than the one I usually go to in Syndulla House, most likely because of the holoprojector sitting in the middle of the room.

I was feeling a lot worse than just worried. One night he opened up about his feelings, the next he was gone, and I don't even know if he's alive. After the night after we left Coruscant I couldn't hold in anymore, I had to excuse myself during a meeting before the barriers in my eyes collapsed to my tears.

Am I glad that Ahsoka sees eye to eye with me, even though she has different reasons. "He doesn't know me at all, but he risked his life to protect mine. I owe him one." Her words still hung down my lek.

"That's him. One of the very few good people left." I commented.

"And I did. Now I'm not going to let someone die because of me." She shot back. "We rebels leave no man behind."

I simply stood beside her and Gobi while the jedi commander argued with the big boss of Phoenix Squadron. I tried to chime in for a few times, but Ahsoka gestured she could handle herself, which only made me concern more. "And by doing that you're starting an all out gang war with the Black Sun and Darth Maul! How do you intend to handle this?" Snapped commander Sato.

"That's where I must step in, commander. You've built weapons that could stop a lightsaber, and we've trained people that could fight people like Maul. I do not understand what to fear." Cham replied out of nowhere as Sato finished his sentence, with a stern look pasted on his face. "Commander Tano's right. We leave no man behind. I thought this was what your Marines are trying to prove all the time." He continued and pointed at one of Sato's officers with an obvious dog tag hanging around his neck.

Sato stroked his shaved chin and hesitated for at least half a minute, tensing the atmosphere in mere seconds. "What's your plan for your soldier then?" Sato finally gave up and allowed Cham to start making plans. _And I was thinking this would be the other way around. Guess old Cham isn't as xenophobic as I thought._

"We do what we're best at. Guerilla warfare. Hit and run. He comes home, and hopefully we pick up a few other of our kind as well." He said to the human commander. "I'll alert you when a full plan is made. Gobi?"

"You got it sir. Only things is we obviously can't throw all our ships to save his ass." Commented the broad second-in-command. "That's for certain. But even I have to admit, he's a good kid, and good friends of yours from what I observe." _He's a hell lot more than just a friend._ I thought. _He's one of the few good humans left._

I knew for a fact that the Shadow Collective fleet was gathered around the planet of Nixus, which commander Tano informed me after requesting me to gather news from the Holonet the other day, but commander Sato didn't want to hear it, despite the relatively short distance from here to the SCF's position.

"There's a known Shadow Collective fleet above Nixus as we speak. Recently we've detected unusual air traffic there. Could be our boy that's locked up there." Ahsoka announced as she stepped up to the holoprojector and turned it on, revealing a 3D map and the image of a fleet composed of several star cruisers orbiting the nearly uninhabitable planet.

"I don't know how good he is, or how many people he's already pissed off before. I know Darth Maul. He isn't gonna let him go that easily, so we have to assume he's immobilised." Announced Ahsoka. "What your men will be facing are loosely grouped mercenaries instead of stormtroopers, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous." She reminded.

As she briefed us and the Terrans I couldn't help but shift my attention to every word Ion told me before he was gone. I knew well his chances of surviving the Dathomirian madman were pretty slim, but I want to give it a shot, so I can see him again and arrange a sit-down with him and try to catch up.

Still, I got every detail about our op above Nixus. Unlike most other ship assaults we're utilising escape pods this time, which Ahsoka claimed it was because of the uncertainty nature of the rescue. I didn't care too much about it. As long as I get to see him, anything will work.

I headed to the armoury to get myself prepared, but not before Gobi intercepted me in one of the hallways. "Numa, can we talk?" He asked, with a slightly stern tone which jumped me a little.

"Sure. About what?" I replied casually, even though I was mostly thinking about how to pull the job off and missing Ion.

"What did he tell you the night before?" Said Gobi.

I hesitated for a moment, not because I was caught off guard by him being straight forward, but because I wasn't really supposed to tell such private things to others, especially not when I have no idea what the young human who fell for me is thinking right now. "I don't think it's appropriate to talk about this today." I simply answered.

"I didn't tell you he spoke to me above you two before. Did I?" He said, but I seriously didn't feel like getting into touchy subject at the moment, so I dismissed him politely and resumed my walk down the armoury three floors below.

* * *

"Enemy battleship Tempest in range. Spectre 2, you may launch when ready." Broadcasted commander Sato after a long wait of two hours in the lower levels of the Corvette. I stepped into the compact escape pod with Mesh behind me and Lubo already sitting on one of the seats, along with Ahsoka right next to her. Lubo looked a lot better than the last time I spoke to her. She now had a proper combat attire underneath her hand-me-down clone armour, with a pimped E-11 between her legs in a pair of trousers borrowed from the Terran Marines.

My weapon and gear were both a lot heavier than hers, but I'm not about to let that affect my efficiency, not when the life of one of the very few good Terrans was at stake. "Strap on 2-6. Gonna get bumpy real soon." I ordered and pulled down the safety harness above me, fastening myself to the seat adjacent to Ahsoka. "I'm good!" Mesh reported once he did the same, and before I knew it we were hurtling towards the hostile fleet well above the speed of sound, with a squadron of prototype X-wings and A-wings clearing our path.

"Check your aim soldiers. He can be anywhere." Said Ahsoka. I heard Mesh muttering beside me, as if he was praying or something. But I paid no attention to that, he was always like that when we're about to fly off into a battle.

As we made our approach to the SCF Tempest I heard the chatter outside intensify. The flak was giving us a lot of trouble, but with the help of the pilot escorts, the enemy defenses were quickly thinned out, allowing us to board their ships with only minor damage to the fighters.

"Move it people. We're taking this ship!" Ahsoka ordered sharply as she leaped out of the hatch with her lightsabers ignited, killing two mercs instantly. I followed and scanned the hallway below quickly, with Lubo and Mesh dropping in from behind and covering my back.

A squad of mercenaries was just waiting for us around the corner, and all hell broke loose the moment Ahsoka ran down the corridor and came to them face to face. But before I could aim for a shot, the mercs were reduced to nothing more than dead meat lying on the ground, spilling blood all around the floor.

"New objective, Spectre 2. We aren't taking the bridge. Commander Sato said he just received a distress call from within this ship. Your soldier is right here with us. We'll link up with him in the hangar." She said and pierced her twin lightsabers into the durasteel elevator door, melting its components and allowing her to cut a clean circle out of it.

"Into the shaft. Let's go." She ordered sharply and leaped into the hole she just cut out. I followed, with the rest closely behind me, utilising their ropes and grapples to assist them. Moments after we made it out of the shaft we ran into a squad of bounty hunters with their guns blazing, forcing everyone including Ahsoka to fall back behind the corner.

The whole team was anxious to finish the fight, especially me. So without a second thought I drew my rifle, poked its barrel around the corner, and blindly fired a salvo of blue rounds towards our enemies hiding less than 15 meters away from where we were. Soon their line of fire thinned, allowing Ahsoka to start pushing them back while I continued to look for openings to return fire.

In just seconds we managed to down a pair of operatives on the other side. The rest tried to turn the tables by firing even more frequently, but that didn't stop Ahsoka from pushing forward and getting up close to them, resulting in another gory bloodshed.

"How far are we, commander Tano?" I couldn't help but ask as we reached another set of blast doors in our way.

"Just beyond these doors." She answered and signalled Mesh for a pack of claymore. He swiftly punched it into a soft spot which we found months back during a series of CQB training, and had us stand back and outside the blast radius.

"Fire in the hole." Seconds later a fireball erupted from the hallway, followed by muffled death screams caused by Ahsoka's twin lightsabers and men fist-fighting behind a parked ship directly in front of us. I followed her lead and took out one last merc holding out at the landing gear of the shuttle, and scanned the hangar to see if the kid I missed so much kept his promise on waiting here.

"And I was thinking I boarded the wrong ship." Said the commander as she extinguished her lightsabers and greeted "Numa?" I heard a familiar and pleasant voice shout from across the hangar. I spinned my head, and instantly saw him pacing to me from the other side of the shuttle, with a solid grip on his weapon. _He doesn't look too stable._ I thought. _He doesn't walk or hold guns like this._

With no warning Ion suddenly fell on his knees. He tried to get up, but for some reason he was completely unable to even move a muscle. I rushed to him, only to find the crotch of his trousers painted in red and black. Soon a second prisoner approached me, or at least I thought he was. "We better move him to my ship. Back there, Saxon did some really nasty wounds on him." He pointed and positioned himself behind the good trooper, ready to drag him on board the shuttle.

"Got it. Ion." I whispered. "You'll be alright. I promise."

* * *

Days later...

RAS Plateaa

The Reincarnation is coming, and so is another all-out gang fight with the Shadow Collective. But before I go out there with any of my guys, I needed to visit the man who loved me. "How is he?" I asked 2-1B Alpha, the chief medic of the Movement and a droid our platoon recovered during a massive counter-slavery operation sometime back.

"No normal person could've kept their organ after a blow like that." He commented. "I don't know if your companion is truly 100% human, but he has the recovery speed of a wolverine. You may speak to him if you wish to."

"Thanks Alpha." I said and opened the automatic door to his ward, revealing his unmasked form on the bed. "How are you?" I simply asked.

"I'll live. Don't worry about me." He replied weakly.

"How can I not? You were caught and help captive by one of the most dangerous psychos in the galaxy!" I frowned and protested, but that didn't seem to affect him a bit, probably because he has been busy trying to keep himself company when we're prohibited to pay him a visit.

"But I'm still here." He smiled and to my surprise, gave me a thumbs-up with his right arm. I smiled back, and planted my lip on his forehead.

"For a free Ryloth." I said.


	32. Chapter 32

'The Outrider'

Day 289-04:53:16

Sgt. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Syndulla House, Tann Province

After a whole week of medical attention I finally got permission from Alpha to get back in action. Before I left he advised me sternly not to get captured again, which was well in my expectations. Now that I've gotten the rest I needed, I have to get back out there as soon as possible to save Dash Rendar's family to hold up my end of the deal.

I rushed out to the open and found Gobi observing the stars, as if some natural disaster was about to happen. "Sir!" I shouted, hoping to get his attention.

"What is it?" He turned around and asked.

"Did I tell you anything about Dash Rendar, the guy that broke me out?" I answered anxiously. _There better still be a chance. The worst thing in this galaxy is to see bad shit happen and that you can't do anything about it._

"You did. You said he's giving up his job as a merc, and that he only worked for the Black Sun to protect his family." Gobi stroked his chin for moments before replying. "What is the problem?" He asked curiously.

So I told him everything that he didn't already know, from how Black Sun and the Shadow Collective would kill his family to the fact that we(or maybe just me alone)need to do something about. My hopes of a permit weren't high, but that was until Gobi cut me off.

"Follow me. We'll go talk to the general about this." He replied and gestured me to follow him. I complied eagerly, but not without getting Numa on the line to listen to the conference, after all going solo was never the best idea, not when nobody's forcing me to.

The two of us headed back to the war room, where Cham has just arrived. "So let me get this straight. You've made a deal with your friend, that you'll rescue his family after he busts you out?" I didn't know what made me do it, but I didn't answer. Instead, I just stood there like a log, hoping the general might change the subject.

"Don't get me wrong. I never said you're in trouble." He finally assured, which made me breathe in relief. "Indeed I did, sir. He mentioned Corellia. Place is filled with both Shadow Collective and Imperial forces." I replied.

"Then that's going to be a real problem. You know as well as I do, we can't take a three way fight." Cham pointed. "I agree. Either you be real quick about it, or we're gonna need some heavy firepower to even the odds." Added Gobi.

I crossed my arms and tried to process my options thoroughly. I'm more likely to survive if I go in loud, but on the other hand, I had a team to take care of now, instead of just keeping an eye on Numa like the old days. In other words , anyone could coordinate a team better when they're using stealth.

"What do I need if I go guns blazing?" I asked doubtfully, wondering what else the general and his second in command has got in store for me.

"You're gonna need a suit. One with heavy armour that'll stop virtually any rounds your enemies fire at you. Or at least any known type." Gobi explained and displayed an holographic image of a inexpensive yet well-known set of armour, with labels and descriptions around it. "Or, Numa gets to pick a teammate to go with her to do some recon, then we can decide our approach, stealthily." He continued.

"Time's not what we have, sir." I rejected almost instantly and instinctively. "Lives are at stake. I'll go get the suit. Just tell me where to go."

I was about to head back to my quarters to pack my necessities when Gobi stopped me in my tracks. "Not so fast, hothead. This is a six man job. I'll be going with you, but you're gonna need the rest of Spectre platoon to get the job done, and by that I mean four fully qualified soldiers, and one taking the Trials. You pick your men, and tell them to report to me at 0600. I'll give you a full briefing." He ordered.

"Will do. Sir." I replied.

* * *

"What's so urgent? It's still like five in the morning." Numa couldn't help questioning me, after I woke her up from her dreams by slamming on her door and gradually shaking her. She sat up slowly, and rubbed her eyes wearily.

"Fifteen minutes to six, to be precise." I corrected and waited until she could get on her feet before saying another word, and when I did the first thing she did was to give me a solid pound on my shoulder. "Glad you're back in the game." She said eagerly.

"So am I." I replied and led her to the rest of the crew's quarters, where I repeated the same thing I did to Numa for the next five minutes. A lot of my teammates didn't the rude awakening too well, but during their Trials they were taught to expect the worst. So eventually all of them complied, and we raced up to the war room as fast as our legs can carry us as it was already time.

I rushed into the war room, with the rest trailing me close behind. Gobi made us form a circle around the holoprojector, and once he made sure everyone was fully awake and aware of what's going on he displayed an image of a fleet of Imperial Gozanti-class transports, just above the planet of Saturn. "Everyone seeing this? Alright. In the past few days our friends Phoenix Squadron has been running surveillance ops around their system, and it seems that every so often a few of these suits, " He announced as he switched the image to a set of Zero-G armour. "gets delivered from factories all across planet Terra to different Imperial garrisons. If we can intercept one of them, we'll have a chance to live to tell our tale."

"Back to the transport. The convoy will have to make a stop at Saturn to adjust its course. From our ally's observations, it only takes them a few minutes at most to get it done. In other words, time isn't what we have." He continued.

"How do we stop them?" Asked Lubo, who was standing right next to Numa.

"I say, we use one of our cruisers to ram its bridge, plunge the convoy into chaos, and pray that'll buy us some more time to retrieve the crates holding the suits." Suggested one trainee from our platoon. He was obviously still having his Trials, since any person with some spaceship could tell hyperdriving into a ship's bridge is pretty much a fool's errand.

Still, I couldn't help considering the newblood's idea. His plan sounds crazy for sure, but...crazy might soon be the only option we have left.

"We can change that up a little. We fly in with the Sparta, take out their bridge and ship to ship defenses, while the Outrider goes in and retrieves the crates." I said. Gobi thought for minutes, and when he did the rest of us couldn't help discussing about the op and what they're about to face, all except me.

 _Fuck all the commotion. It's just a job._

"Unless anyone objects, this is our final decision. Fly in with the Sparta, hit them hard, hit them fast. Let the Outrider do its job." He paused for seconds before giving his next order. "Your orders are to be armed and ready by 0630. Fall out!"

Sometime later...

"Lemme ask ya something, Numa." I whispered to my companion's earbud as our platoon marched out of the House and towards the docking ramp of the cruiser we named the RAS Sparta. "Have you ever had injuries worse than Gryphon?" I asked curiously, with flashbacks of the battle above the moon of Ryloth rewinding in my head all over again.

"Worse?" She exclaimed. "Oh yes, definitely."

I tilted my head upon hearing the unexpected answer coming from her mouth. "I'm not triggering flashbacks. Am I?" I said as we reached the ramp and made our way to the interior of the now refitted cruiser.

"No. Not really. That happens regularly. There really isn't anything you and I could do about that one." She shrugged and put up and weak smile on her face. It didn't fool me, though, and I could tell she's distracted when I see it.

"I'm sorry." I replied and gave her a pat on her shoulder, knowing that sometimes you just have to back away to keep yourself from screwing up. I grabbed the sling of my rifle and threw it to my left shoulder, allowing me to let it hang next to my waist and free my hands as I headed to the hangar. The ship's thrusters roared, and the sensation of taking off came back all of a sudden.

The Sparta was soon well away from the planet's surface, with Dash and his shuttle following the cruiser directly behind. "Make the jump, helmsman." Ordered Gobi.

Before I knew it, I was heading back to a planet in my home system, on an uncertain mission.


	33. Chapter 33

'Swift and Sure'

Day 289-17:13:34

Sgt. Ion

Spectre platoon

45km from Titan, moon of Saturn

"...This is transport 28469, we're under attack by two unknown ships! 470's starboard engine has taken severe damage!"

"Deploy every TIE fighter we have!"

"They're shredding our turrets! At this rate we'll be defenseless in less than a minute!"

"Two four, I got a shuttle on my six! Get it off...agh!"

"The goddamn shuttle is shielded!"

"Code red! Code red! All engines are down! Call for support!"

"Spectre platoon, you're clear to go. Find what you need."

I drifted out into deep space moments after Xira gave us the green light, along with the rest of my squad packed close behind. They spread out to their designated ships, while I led Mesh and a couple other to the wreckage in the center. "Don't let your guard down. There might be survivors." I reminded sternly.

"You got it sir." Replied 2-8. "Understood." Followed Mesh. I fired up my jetpack for a second or so, allowing me to get a foothold within the ship. "Whoa shit!" One of them couldn't help screaming as one of the Imperial officers' body floated right past his suit. "One light source only." I ordered and activated the flashlight installed next to the barrel of my newly issued E11, while the rest hurriedly formed into a single file behind me.

Unexpectedly the whole crew was already nothing more than space waste, space waste that were once our enemies. "2-2, 2-1, I got nothing so far. What's your status over there?" I asked.

"Aside from the creepy bodies? Nothing too significant. Dash?" She answered anxiously.

"I do see something that looks like boxes from here...I'll go check on it." Replied the good smuggler as his YT shuttle hovered directly below us. There wasn't a single sound, and besides Mesh nobody paid attention to the ally ship. The newbloods were either soaked up on chatting with one another about themselves or admiring the sight of static space from the narrow opening. But I, as a more experienced men of the Movement, was thinking of something completely different.

"Shouldn't we be thinking about the Reincarnation? We haven't done a thing about it, but that's exactly what we're for." Complained a weary and frustrated Numa. The sky outside Syndulla house was still dark, and both of us were well aware we should be inside our quarters instead of being in the mess hall. Apparently she's had a bad day somehow. I decided to spare her from the details, but no doubt she had a point.

"Thinking? Doing's more like the sound of it. If it's such a big deal then why are we just sitting around in the dorm? I can't stand the waiting." My head collapsed between my palms, only growing warmer and fainter as second after second passed. "Not anymore." I sighed.

"I noticed." Numa replied, saddened by my discouraging tone. "War _is_ stressful." She commented.

I took a deep breath, and briefly looked back at my past as a student of the Imperials. I didn't even have a purpose to do my things back then. It was just working, working and more working. Now? That amount of stress might not even be that much of a difference.

But there's a purpose this time! There're people counting on you! I had to remind myself that, before I made a wrong turn inside my head.

"Stressful that's true." I answered quietly as the sun rose from outside the mess hall. Both of us shifted our attention to the uprising ball of fire. "But not fighting this war will end in utter oppression of the people. Both yours and mine."

"...2-3, Spectre 2-3! Staff sergeant Ion, do you copy?" Rendar shouted anxiously from the other end, still below my squad's position. _Damn it! Got out of line again._ "Yes, I copy! Sorry." I hastily replied.

"Good. The Imps are well on their way. Get into my ship, through the airlock. We've retrieved the suits." Ordered Rendar.

"Copy. On my way." I said as we drifted our way out of the wreckage.

* * *

I stared into the container in amazement and horror. The suit we didn't even have to time to plan thoroughly, turned out to be something far more superior than any of us could've ever imagined. "Are you sure we didn't mistake this for a mech?" I asked doubtfully.

"I'd be damned if this wasn't it. A rotary cannon, twin grenade and rocket launchers, claymores, and even a set of blades hidden inside the arm. Who would've though they're sitting in a lightly guarded convoy?" Explained Rendar as he himself joined to admire the sight of our plunder of the day. Numa, on the other hand, couldn't even raise a smile, even upon yet another victory.

"Brush up the instructions. We'll be approaching Corellia soon." He said before heading back to his cockpit. I sat in the cargo hold, with no one else but Numa next to me, part of the reason I decided not to head up to the Dejarik board to have a break with my men. "Are you tired or something?" I made a wild guess.

"After this," Numa whispered. "may I have a break from all the killing?" I could tell she grew only more and more painful upon every word she's spitting out. I know, I know. None of us were officially adults. In other words, not everyone is capable of tackling with stress, especially when it involves lives, lives that are living under the shadow of the Empire.

" _We'll._ You and me." I replied confidently and lent her a shoulder, while I tried to picture my future self within a few decades. The war might still be going on, the war might've ended with our defeat and my death, or it might've ended in victory, whether it's the annihilation of the Empire or a peaceful co-existence. I personally wouldn't accept the latter, but if I fight good enough and keep my real family in a good shape, I might actually make it to the place I've been dreaming of. A place where it's just me and my family, without any op or admin work to worry about.

* * *

Corellia was sure some mean bush. A moment ago it was all sunny, the next it was storming and raining cats and dogs. But am I glad we stepped in right when the storm was the worst, allowing us to arrive in Rendar's ship undetected.

"Listen up!" Announced general Syndulla. "Multiple enemy ships were detected outside Corellia's atmosphere. Both the Empire and the Shadow Collective are here to tie up their loose ends. Spectre platoon, you must not let them get what they want! Extract our allies as quick as possible!" He ordered sharply.

"Yes sir!" We replied in unison as the cargo ramp was lowered, revealing the foggy and hilly surface below. I couldn't help peeking out the ramp as the ship closed in, but a slam from Gobi beat me to it.

"We're at the drop zone! Go!" He ordered. I saved my breath to answer, and leaped out of the flat and round shuttle carrying us. My legs took a major beating from the concussion as my suit landed on the mud, and so did the rest. The thrusters on my suit lit up, and before I knew it I was speeding towards the Rendar's mansion at full throttle.

I deployed my rotary cannon and armed the rest of my mobile arsenal as we made our way to our objective, fingers on the trigger. The treeline soon grew thinner and thinner, and I knew this wasn't about to go down without a pool of blood spilled on the ground. Their blood.

"For the fallen that have gotten us so far." I muttered.

Gobi, who was taking the lead, halted first and shredded the first wave of Shadow Collective soldiers on patrol duty. I followed up from behind, and fired a grenade at the Rendar's entrance as soon as a second wave of responders came flooding out the front door. "Dash, where's your family?" I asked anxiously, while keeping my finger pinned on the only trigger I could reach.

"I've uh...already notified them of our dramatic entrance. They should be in the basement, that is if they followed my instructions." Rendar replied doubtfully as he marched slowly towards the right flank of the apartment, mowing down another squad of mercs in his way. "Taking fire!" Shouted 2-8.

"I'm on it." I replied, and ignoring the mercs firing at me, or at my suit to be precise, I managed to locate my teammate among the frenzy and launched a second grenade at a series of muzzle flashes I caught my eyes on, sending a couple of mercs flying sky high. "Thanks for the assist, sir." Replied the newblood, now able to recover from the stream of laser that came flying at him.

I don't know what made me do it, but out of nowhere I noticed that one of our units was nowhere to be seen. I frantically shouted at my comlink, amidst the chaos going outside my set of armour. "Spectre 2-2, what's your position, over? I don't think I can see you from here!"

"As I expected. I'm...inside...guh...what the?" She replied moments later, followed by shouts and yells of agony of the same exact voice, as if some monster or other type is trying to possess her. I tried to head interior, but before I could even move a muscle, they were strained, halted, and eventually, fell completely out of my control."

I knew getting out of the suit would result in me being a vulnerable target, but not doing so would surely end in me losing my mind at best, and setting off my brain like a timed bomb at worst. _Whatever that might be we'll have to look into it later._ And with my last strand of consciousness, I hit the emergency ejection of the suit, and had myself flying out of the possessive machine and onto the soaked ground.

My mind was completely burnt by the sudden outburst from the suit I was wearing to fight just moments ago, and my muscles were paralysed for a considerable time before I could warn the others. But it looks like it was a fool's errand anyway, as Gobi was the only one still inside the dreaded machine and the rest lying and screaming for help on the ground.

I had no time to sit down and catch my breath. I renewed my grip on my E11, and forced my way to the main entrance, trying my best to turn a blind eye to my teammates until the moment I'm no longer occupied. A pair of assassin droids came bolting down the stairs, but that didn't stop me from pounding holes in their chest, cutting their circuits one after another and sending them collapsing down the stairs.

By then Dash had already recovered from his mind ordeal, and was already right next to me when I cleared out the last of the mercenary resistance within the first and second floor, or at least I thought so. "Everyone dead yet?" He grumbled, with a shroud of fear within his accent.

"All the enemies are, I hope. 2-2's down, I'll check on her." I said as I rushed up the stairs, with my guard still up and running. "Dash, go help the rest. I got this!" I pointed.

* * *

10 minutes later...

"Damn it! It was a trick all along!" Gobi shouted as he withdrew his head out of the interior of the stolen suit, his eyes flaming and his fists curling and stressing in utter anger. The rest of the Rendars were secured, but not before I lifted Numa down to a room the first floor to check on her.

"What was a trick?" I asked nervously, knowing that this may very well be just a whole scandal set up by the Empire to draw the best of the Movement out to exterminate us. My muscles have never been trembling this violent, not even the time when I was just a rookie and sitting under the rain during my time as a newbie.

Gobi turned at me, and threw one of the suit's components into my palm. "Look at this. Looks like mind control ain't just a bunch of urban legends no more." He answered.

"How so?" I asked, still unable to decode what was up with the device I was holding.

"This chip you're holding. It's the central hub of all the connections that runs through your head, while keeping itself a secret to you. That's why none of us noticed something's off the charts until it was too late." He explained. Numa was still lying unconscious on my arm, and I could tell she's not going to make it if we don't break out of the dreaded place soon.

"Don't tell me...?" Someone yelled out suddenly, but hurriedly paused after noticing that the voice has got all our attention.

I turned my head and noticed Mesh covering his mouth. "What? What is it?" I asked desperately, hoping that he might have an answer of the abrupt downturn of a standard op of ours.

"I think someone mentioned things about the security level of the convoy we raided earlier, is that right sir?" He said. I carefully laid down the teal companion of mine, and shifted my attention to Mesh's questioning. "I'm not sure if I remember hearing anything like that. Why now?" I asked.

"I know you'll call me crazy for saying that, but what if this whole thing was a drama set up by someone, for us to walk right in?" He answered, his lips shivering like most others. "You mean, we just walked into an Imperial trap?" I shrieked upon hearing the rushed but seemingly reasonable assumption.

"You know, sergeant, that could be true. I don't know how much Thrawn hates you personally, but he sure wants to wipe us all out badly. I'm sure of that." Gobi replied, while still busy analysing the suit lying on the carpet.

Before I could say another thing my comlink came to life, followed by a series of sirens only a YT shuttle would use. "Dash, we're taking heavy fire up here! At least five star destroyers up here!"

 _Damn...looks like my luck is running short._


	34. Chapter 34

'We Can and We Will'

Day 291-23:34:11

Sgt. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Approaching Coronet City, Corellia

My speeder ran along the highway leading to the only major city of the planet, with more flat speeders carrying my teammate and Dash's family surrounding me. Gobi assigned me to be their escort, while he and Mesh carried a datacore of the suit and Numa on theirs.

There was no way one could possibly calm me down by now. _Looks like I might really have to support my whole team, after all Gobi has to babysit the newbies AND possibly Dash's family as well._ It was something I could only imagine, never did I think it might happen to me for real.

Upon arrival of the city I quickly scoured for signs leading to any spaceport, and so did Gobi and the unharmed. But we're out of luck, the street signs on Corellia was just as messed up as on Ryloth. We pulled over in an alley, and gathered around Gobi to hear his orders. "Which way, sir?" I asked.

"Not so fast, sergeant. Even if we do get there, we still need to think of how to steal a ship with so many hostages and wounded." He reminded as he pulled out his hologram from his back pocket, while I headed for the flat speeder where Numa rested to check on her. _You darn biter, you better live or I'll never forgive you._

"The spaceport isn't a mobile platform like the ones you saw on Coruscant, more like the one in Lessu. We get to the spaceport, the we need someone to run a recon around the area, and find out which Imperial shuttle might be an easy target." Said Gobi. As much as splitting up in this state was definitely not a good idea, I had a hard time thinking of a better one, so I decided to simply go with it.

"You got it sir. But I'm staying with the big group when that reconnaissance happens." I requested carefully, as I knew a few rookies were not going to make the cut, even if I was just overthinking. But another thing I had in mind was Numa, I couldn't leave her in that coffin-like thing alone after all.

 _Damn, am I already seeing things?_

"Huh. I wasn't going to send you anyway. After all you're more than twice the strength of a regular." Gobi paused and raised his volume to get the whole crew's attention. "2-7 2-8, you're on recon duty. Give me sitrep every 60 seconds, no more, no less. Everyone else stay here. Get on it!" He ordered.

Before I knew it, the rookies were jumping onto side rails and hopping onto the rooftops, while I stayed put and tuned my rifle, waiting impatiently for my comrades to get their job over with. I bent down and checked Numa's pulse like I did in the house and right before we came for Coronet, and was relieved to feel my finger vibrate in a steady pace without signs of faltering.

I was somehow having a hard time keeping myself awake, and the possessive suit was probably to blame. And if I didn't move around every once a while, I would've definitely got a good scolding from Gobi and have made a fool out of myself. It was basically how time flew, until ten minutes later a radio chatter rang in my eardrums and gave me a rude awakening.

"Sir, I have to report, I've got bad news." 2-8 said in a nervous tone. "How bad? No ships to steal?" I asked anxiously.

"That's the least of your concern I believe, when you see what's over here." He replied. "We've got a fleet of bad news." I could already tell they're already in need of new underpants, and when I heard the rumbling above my ears I was having a hard time not getting cold feet myself. A fleet of five destroyers has entered orbit and is right above the spaceport, they reported.

"Well we aren't going anywhere with the destroyers in the way. And this isn't space, we can't just jump out and take the bridge as we please." I sighed, while still trying to maintain my spirit.

Gobi sat in the driver seat and didn't spit out a single word as he stared at the hologram projecting the image of the spaceport, along with the fleet hovering overhead. "We'll have to call Javelin. Hope they're fast enough to break through." He suggested frustratedly.

"The fighters might be, but what about the cruiser? It's gonna be shot into pieces by the time it hits the surface." I pointed, ignoring the broadcasting probes drifting above us, playing the same message urging us to surrender peacefully. _Thrawn has got us good this time. I'll give him that._

"What do you suggest then?" Gobi asked, irritated by my words and the dilemma we're stuck in. "I mean, if _you_ have a better idea, I'm all ears." He continued.

"You aren't going to like it, sir." I answered reluctantly, knowing that stealing a civilian ship was something we Movement members should never do.

Gobi didn't even think twice to say his answer. "Like it or not, I'll hear it. I won't lecture you for giving a crappy idea. My word." He replied.

So that's when I went on like there's no tomorrow. To my surprise I managed to go through every detail, even including how we'll have to reprogram the shuttle's pilot droid to fool the Imperial officers in the dreaded warships. But out of my expectations Gobi kept his cool and heard it out, without even stopping me for once.

"On one condition. It has to be unmanned. You know our rules. We don't harm civilians." He reiterated.

"Not a problem sir." I replied and shifted my attention to my comlink, with the two rookies still listening to us. "You two, stay where you are for now. If you must move, make sure you don't leave the mission zone. Clear?" I raised my volume as I asked, as if I was calling my last strand of stamina to hang on to me and get me through all the mayhem awaiting ahead.

"Yes sir!" The rookies replied with an equal voice.

 _I'm gonna give you a big hug, girl, when you can walk again. We'll make it._

* * *

"Push, push! We're not far away!" I shouted and shot down another stormtrooper peeking out the wide doorway. Numa was still lying unconscious on my back, and Gobi, along with the rookies were barely holding the line. "There's too many of them!" Shouted Mesh.

"We don't have another way! We must make it through!" I answered by forcefully pushing myself to a crate a few meters ahead of me, one within close proximity of the Imps lined up at the entrance of the loading dock. As I slid towards the crate I let my grip on my last grenade loose, sending it flying at the horde of white and killing them almost instantly.

Gobi was already low on ammo, and as a result he was stuck with his DC17 and his fists. Nonetheless he was inflamed, for whatever reason, and I'd swear I've never seen him fight so hard in my life with them. But I was no pushover either, and the way I strangled and fought off the quad of stormtroopers who were just in front of me was a concrete proof.

I must've got too far ahead of myself, because the next thing I knew, a stormtrooper was rushing up to me with a blade in his hand. My forearm was instantly painted in red, and with only one functional arm I was having serious trouble keeping the Imp's military knife at bay and away from my throat, especially considering that he has already pinned me on the ground with him on top.

Out of nowhere came a series of unsuppressed gunfire. My eardrums were ringing, and don't even ask me how I could still hear a feminine voice groaning behind me.

 _Wait a minute._

"Ahh!" The voice grumbled and panted behind. I turned around, and was stunned to see a teal figure dressed in a black shirt trying to stand up straight. "I'm pretty sure...this ain't where we're supposed to be." She said, with a bright smile on her face.

"Nah. We shouldn't. Can you walk?" was the first thing I thought of asking.

"I can do a lot more than walking." She chuckled, but her forcing a smile was exactly what I was worried about. "Everyone to that Corvette. Let's go!" I shouted next, and lead the charge as Mesh and I finished off the last of the stormtroopers in front of the ramp of the rugged CR90 parked in front of us.

Mesh, the best pilot that isn't already inducted to the Javelin platoon, rushed to the bridge and warmed its engines and turrets, while the rest of us scattered to hatches and seats to prepare ourselves for a tense dogfight that was bound to turn our stomachs upside down. I settled myself at the hull turret, with a standard-issued dual barrelled blaster cannon at my service.

"2-6, how fast can these things go?" Gobi asked nervously.

"Quite actually. About what you get from a Raptor, that is if I push this thing to the limits." He replied through his comlink, with the sound of whirring playing in a soft tone next to him. "Lifting off in 3..2...1...wait! More incoming from the atmosphere! Designation unknown!"


	35. Chapter 35

'Air Force ain't so Bad'

Day 289-22:13:55

Petty officer Xira

Javelin Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Chimera Base, Ryloth orbit

I stared at the crudely printed photo of an infant twi'lek and a green skinned man at his late forties. My fingers couldn't help running along the cheeks of the child, as images of my daughter shouting her first cries came to life again. I sure wanted to spend every moment I have with them, but with the Empire and slave traders after every twi'lek girl in the galaxy, it wasn't just a fifty grand a year job to fight against them. It was, in fact, a responsibility to me.

Believe me I had every reason to stay, but if I did, who will be there to protect my family? Mercs? Definitely a no-go. My husband? I trust him, but a man alone can only do so much. So I knew I had to fight for them, for the ones I love back at my home in Rhovari, on my own terms.

"Attention Javelin Platoon, assemble at the hangar immediately. Repeat, Javelin Platoon members, assemble at the hangar immediately!" The loudspeaker overhead derailed my train of thoughts as commander Faylin's voice rang from the cone-shaped device on the ceiling. I stowed away my photograph in my shirt pocket, and followed the rest of the pilots to the hangar to see what she has in store for us.

"This is not a drill!" Her loud and sure voice continued as I sprinted down the corridor, right past Harris and a couple of other twi'leks before I made it to the brightly illuminated hangar a storey below. The jet fighters and the Sparta, along with its TIE interceptors docked between its prongs, were just where they were. Faylin was already in her orange and white pilot outfit, with D4 standing next to the crate she's standing on.

She made the bulk of us gather around her, and once everyone reported in she began briefing us on the op that the Spectre guys took earlier today. _I thought it was a simple search and rescue._

"Hear ye! Ten minutes ago, we received a distress call from Dash Rendar, one of our allies taking part in the rescue operation. D4?" She signalled the astromech, and soon a beam of blue emerged from its optics, revealing what appears to be a pilot fighting for his life inside his ship. "...five star destroyers? Damn it! We're taking hits! Cannot..." was all the message could say.

 _Five? That's one new record on the book, I'll give the bucketheads that._

"This was the only message from them that reached us. As you can see, the original air support is not enough. We'll have to fly into Corellia orbit and initiate our search and rescue, as we're still trying to track the exact origin of their distress call. At the same time, you'll fly in with the dozen of fighters we've got and buy the ground team some time to get off the planet. If you've got questions, ask now." Demanded Faylin.

"Ma'am, I do." Said Geyges, one of the brighter students we've had with us in our air unit. "What if they can't get something that flies?"

"You'll have to trust them. No worries, from what I know, these guys can walk into hell and come back smiling." She replied after stroking her chin for moments.

"Petty officer Xira, you'll be leading the fighter unit in the commander Raptor, as always. The rest will be in the Sparta's guns and on the monitors, those come in first priority. Every other position is expendable. Expect at least 60 mikes of hyperdrive time. Everyone let's mount up! And may the Force be with you!" She finished, and headed to be before I could move myself to the slightly customised Raptor sitting at the side of the hangar.

"Hold on officer. Your droid." She said as she handed the astromech painted in jet black back to me.

"Thanks. Good hunting out there." I replied.

D4 activated its propulsion system in its belly and hovered into the socket just behind my seat. I hopped into the tightly packed seat, and initialised the jet's systems hastily as the rest did the same and headed out first. I stole a glance at the Sparta repainted with stripes of crimson and the jaws of a shark on its twin prongs, and noticed its ramps retracting and its crew on the bridge.

The canopy above my head came down and sealed me off from the air outside, leaving me completely isolated from whatever gas was in the hangar. I carefully pulled the joystick between my legs backwards, and led my fighter out into vacuum space with three more behind me and the Sparta rear guarding our formation.

"Hey 0-2, aren't we developing this project Baphomet? I heard it was specifically designed to handle destroyer fleets like this one." Geyges commented on his way out.

"The good general rejected it because of its complexity. But believe me, when you see that blueprint, you'll never underestimate humans anymore." I answered cheerfully, remembering how incredible the project Harris proposed looked. From what I remember it was a machine with arms and legs, equipped with a repeater missile launcher in addition to its primary railgun.

"I know it's a shame, but cut the chatter. We got a job to do." Faylin reminded as the Sparta made its way out of the hangar. By now we were ready to jump at any moment. All that awaits was an order from Faylin, and we're all set.

Moments had passed when her call finally came down through our comlinks. And when it reached mine I was thrilled to push the hyperdrive lever next to my right palm. Before I knew it, I could no longer see my squadron mates. What replaced was the astonishing sight of twirling blue just outside my cockpit.

 _And that's that. An hour's wait. You two lovebirds better hang in there._

An hour later...

"All callsigns form up! We're making a run for the fleet below! The Sparta's going to ram the flagship while the rest causes as much mayhem as possible!" Faylin ordered sharply from the bridge of the Arquitens-class cruiser still within hyperspace, while my squadron and I slowly entered the terrestrial planet's atmosphere and towards its biggest city, Coronet.

My HUD quickly scanned the destroyers hovering about the city as soon as my fighter made its way to the jungle surface. The rest of the bulk followed, and soon all of us were hastily locking onto hard points located on the Imperial ships. Mine found itself targeting the destroyers' shield generators resting next to the bridge, and as it locked on my thumb was nervously rubbing the red button on the joystick.

"Javelin 2-1, we're approaching effective range. Requesting permission to fire." I asked impatiently in the cockpit now getting more humid. I could hear the rest of my team already chatting to kill themselves time. Well, what could I expect from them? After all it was I that made them reckless enough to shift their attention so easily in battle.

"Permission granted. Entering AO in 3...2...1..."

"All hands, brace for impact!" That was the last thing I heard from our brave captain before the Sparta emerged from nowhere and steered itself to a collision course with the leading destroyer, taking out its bridge and leaving it out of action. It was about to ram into another wingman star destroyer when it veered away from total destruction, barely missing the destroyer's side and scratching off its paint.

Before any of the captains inside the destroyers could react, Xira pressed down the red switch she has longed, and so did the rest who were anxious to save their comrades stuck on the ground. Their hard work paid off when the sight of a CR90 Corvette emerged from the horizon and the domes on the destroyers went off, allowing us to further set our sights on the hundreds of turrets and anti-aircraft batteries scattered across the ships.

As half of the flight and I did so the other half started locking their missiles and cannons onto the TIE escorts buzzing around and about the fleet, knowing that at this proximity the chance of missing their shots were almost zero. Without a second thought, we fired a second wave, while the Sparta banked sharply to get a clear shot at two of the destroyers hovering off our left flank.

Soon enough the skies were filled with the distinctive roar of the eyeballs and laser rounds of both green and red, along with frantic screams of our gunners' and their pilots'(I could tell by our guys' performance). "Javelin 0-2, breaking away! In pursuit!" I shouted before I did just that and chased after an isolated TIE I came across.

It tried to make a sharp turn behind one of the destroyers' bridge, making it a lot harder to take it down with only my guns. Nonetheless I waited, and waited until it shifted in another direction and got into my line of fire. Yet I missed again, and before I could wait for another shot a rocket from the corvette obliterated what was supposed to be my kill, and sped further up and away from Corellia's surface.

"This is Javelin 0-4, their guns are too powerful! Can't get a shot!" One of the pilots shouted, after Harris shouted in defeat when his prey dodged his attack once again. "Spectre, give me a sitrep, now!" Faylin ordered nervously, after learning that we've already lost the element of surprise and are slowing exposing our weakness of having few men and firepower.

"Objective complete. Package are slightly wounded. One cat Bravo. One cat Charlie. Altitude ten thousand meters from surface." Gobi reported sharply through his comlink, implying us that it's time to follow them and be out of here soon.

"Copy all. 0-2, cover us. We're out of here, before we get stranded like their asses." Faylin commanded as the Sparta altered its trajectory and pointed its nose up, while retrieving the dented and shot up TIE interceptors of ours via its only docking bay. I launched the last rounds of my guided missiles towards whatever Imperial target I could hit, and flew away from the combat zone as more TIEs approached from airbases around the planet to reinforce their comrades.

We ended up losing a TIE to anti-aircraft fire. She had been a slave like some of us, and her early life was no less tragic than some of ours. I found it quite hard not to weep for her, but as the old saying goes, the best funeral for a close outlaw is to win the fight for them, and celebrate the victory afterwards with their souls savouring with you in another realm.


	36. Chapter 36

'Reincarnation'

Day 351-15:58:14

Sgt. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Lessu Arena, Ryloth

I impatiently threw a peanut in my mouth and stared down the makeshift scope of my E-11. It has been the same since I disposed of two guards came snuck onto the roof with a rope on my back, just slaves lined up below us and more mercenaries keeping an eye on them. "My turn to say I wish I can just take them all out." I commented.

"Don't always rush it, sergeant. Gotta create as much chaos as possible...without hurting any innocents." Gobi replied, annoyed by both Numa's and my recklessness.

"Yeah, that's your answer every time, sir." I said sarcastically, knowing that ten long hours had already passed since the top brass stationed me here on the rooftop of the arena. "Be careful of what comes out of you mouth." He said angrily.

"Roger that." I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as I adjusted my eyeball and got a better view on the slaves and slavers below. Lucky for me my limbs still haven't fallen asleep yet, but I have no idea if I can say the same if this stretches any longer.

My whole platoon was busy as a beaver for the last two months, mostly for the Baphomet and to simply defend ourselves. And as a result, the general has been scratching names off the wall in the war room more than ever. In fact, I just lost Blaze and Tenno, some other fellow soldiers under my command, the other day, and I took the blame since not even my medical skills on the battlefield was enough to save them from multiple blast wounds.

Sure, writing a letter to their family to inform them on their beloved's death was simple, just open a standardised format from a hologram and change out the names and their cause of death, if necessary. But one just can't describe the pain and vengeful feeling with plain words, and that's what I learned when I offered to write such painful letters for the general.

 _Whatever machine Harris is building, it better be worth the price. Harris!_

"I hate the music!" Numa grumbled from the other side of the roof, directly opposite of my position. "Sir, according to my experience, it should be about halfway by now!" She yelled.

"I can confirm 2-2's assumption. Half of the line has gone. 2-1, if we're going to attack, now would be a good time." Mesh whispered from below, just out of sight of the of the mercs, that is if he didn't sneak to another position.

"Based on my judgement..." Gobi whispered slowly, forcing my finger closer to the trigger. I managed to restrain myself, but based on the time period I've already been staring at the unsuspecting guard across the arena, I might lose my cool, again.

I waited, and waited, for Gobi to give us the green light and cut out the stiff motif flowing around. _It's not going to do well on my determination or morale._ I thought. I tried to be a better rifleman, a better sniper, I tried. But no matter how much I push myself, my true nature would defy me.

I'm just not that calmly-take-them-down-one-by-one type, huh?

"You're good to go. All Spectre units, this is Spectre 2-1, green light! Have no mercy!"

* * *

I anxiously jumped off the roof with a thick climbing rope attached to my waist and drew my E-11. My finger couldn't help by now, and soon enough bodies were collapsing one after another on the other side. Numa did the same, and the grimacing from below was as clear as listening to rock music in my headset.

 _Hard to believe I'm actually sniping with an assault rifle, though. Man, we are running low on resources. About time to call the brothers from Phoenix Squadron, again._

I zoomed out moments later, and was quite surprised and satisfied to see that there was nothing left to shoot at. "2-6 to 2-1, all clear. They've scattered, though. Probably expecting us." Mesh reported nervously.

"Should've seen that coming. As I said before, expect heavy resistance." Gobi ordered as gunshots started ringing in my ear, most certainly coming form Gobi's side. I touched down five storeys below, and was instantly spotted by a weequay guard. He rushed up to me, but I made use of the edge of the floor and sent him falling to his death below, startling the mass and plunging the complex into chaos.

"I thought I said not to rush it!" Gobi complained.

"If it jeopardises the mission, I can always fix it up, should I?" I responded as I headed along the floor, cutting down and beating up the slave-trading pushovers as I made my way to the garage underground.

For a moment or so there was no response, though the enemy wave never ceased. I had plenty of motivation, since my muscles have resumed their undying run towards the infinity, and in that case, trying to wear me out like the slavers were doing would be the most foolish decision.

 _Nobody can wear ME down._

"People of Ryloth!" I heard a broadcast from somewhere I couldn't point as I ran and fired shots. I began to wonder, if Numa could really pull this off and turn the people against its oppressors, after all she went against my advice and decided not to use a script.

"I don't need one, not when I know what I'm fighting for." She objected confidently.

"Then you better not get cold feet. Just practice it a few times in your head." That was the only thing I could say to a stubborn girl.

She couldn't help shaking my shoulder in protest as a retaliation of my constant nagging. "You know me. I won't." She reassured and left for her quarters to catch up with her long lost sleep. I wasn't about to stop her, considering I could use a little rest as well.

"A lot of you might know this day as your last day on your homeworld." I knocked out another mercenary as I made my way down the stairwell, en route to meet up with the rookies down there who were supposed to be waiting with several transports to escape with the slaves. The plan we had rehearsed for two months was going without a hitch so far, aside from the slight urge of throwing up after failing to stop one of the human guards from punching my stomach.

"Some might even consider this day as the day you die." She continued through the loudspeaker. I noticed Mesh getting fired upon another ten storeys below me, and my instincts kicked in as I stepped slightly away from the window and tuned my rifle to single-shot.

 _No sweat. Missed two shots, though._

"But none of this will happen. Not if we recognise the evil behind all this and make a stand!" I had to admit, even I was getting hyped when she made it to that part. The adrenaline level in my veins was starting to reach critical levels, but that wouldn't do anything, other that making me even harder to defeat.

"There's always a chance to be free, only if you're willing to take it!" She yelled, her voice even louder than last time. By then I was quite near the ground floor, and the mercenaries have proven to be nothing much but cannon fodder and beanbags to blow off some steam from the stormtroopers before.

I snapped the neck of a distracted weequay as I finally reached the ground floor, where Mesh and the rookies that were sent were waiting with almost half of the slaves staring at me and the rest of my teammates in disbelief. "That really a human?" I heard one of the natives speak in their language, roughly, and I could tell because the veterans were generous enough to teach me how to speak their language. For that, I've decided not to disappoint them.

From what I can see, Numa didn't even need to finish her speech to gather enough supporters for a massive riot in the arena itself, much like one of the battles during the outbreak of the Clone Wars, if I haven't mistaken. Only today we're coming with massive support behind our backs, and the expectation of the highest number of casualties in our entire operating history, even higher than the Massacre.

"Hooah! Hooah!"

"Hooah! Hooah!"

 _Poor bastards. Must've been holding their feelings for too long._

Things were about to really get out of hand, especially for Orn Free Taa who never saw THIS coming.


	37. Chapter 37

AN: There wasn't anywhere to mention this in my story but the members or the Movement nicknamed the ITTs 'boxes', and it's not official.

* * *

'Twilight'

Day 351-16:33:34

Sgt. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Lessu Arena, Ryloth

The crowd was rapt, and so was the rest of us. It's about time the people have come together to end this evil that has been spreading across Ryloth for centuries, or millenniums. I...or should I say we, have rearmed ourselves to be the vanguard of the flaming civilians, in an effort to storm the Capital several dozens of miles away.

We distributed every piece of weapon we could find to the strong men who desired to fight for their family, and led the rest who sough peace more away from the arena. Even Javelin who was on standby was called to descend to Lessu as quick as the wind can carry them, for both Lieutenant commanders Gobi and Faylin knew things were about to go from chaotic to absolute madness.

Soon every single ITT was filled with either raging peasants and muscles or women and the handful of children who were forcefully brought to the arena despite their age. It was indeed outrageous to see the stunning amount of slaves Taa's faction had brought in, and damn it felt good to know we had done something about it.

"Javelin 0-3, what's the status on the air wing?" I asked.

"0-2 through 4 have already lifted off. 0-1 and 0-5 through 10 are gonna hit their space fleet in ten mikes." He replied eagerly. I glanced up into the sky, and my will was instantly boosted when I saw a formation of flashing lights high above the atmosphere.

I shifted my attention back to my squadron after the fighters flew past my field of view, and found Numa's grip holding my shoulder plate firmly. "You all set?" She asked.

"Anytime. Into the boxes." I answered as I sprinted for the leading ITT, with everyone else either rolling down from stairwells or behind my back. I hopped into the crowded transport, and did my best to instruct the natives to kill every imp standing in their way in their language. But my human accent was totally off the charts, and so was the laughter of some who took my voice as a joke.

Even in full speed we were hours away from the capital itself, so the natives were starting to grow impatient after half an hour or so, and we weren't even halfway there yet. Mesh informed me the last of the citizens were about to leave through his comlink, but as he finished his sentence I heard my device die out in a fizz. I tried desperately to reach him again, but I had no luck, and neither could I reach anyone else.

All of a sudden the ground beneath the box shook violently, throwing some of the passengers off balance and forcing me to come to an abrupt stop to see what exactly just happened. But before I could figure out where the sandstorm I was looking at in the distance came from, my comlink suddenly came back to life, with members of Javelin's voice chattering frantically over the channel.

"Holy shit! What did they just fire?"

"That even a star destroyer?"

"This is Javelin 0-2 to all units. The imperial fleet just fired something like a superlaser to the surface. The whole continent is going to be gone in minutes!" Xira shouted. "A superlaser?" I exclaimed, trying to make sure she wasn't messing with me or my ear's acting up recently.

I never got to wait for her to reply. The sandstorm was clearly visible by then, and I could already tell things were not going to end well for either side. Every teammate of mine and I had to ignore the limiter on the right of the dashboard and step on the throttle as far as our legs could extend, just to race with the dust and concrete blowing and flying dozens of miles an hour behind our asses.

"How're we supposed to outrun this bullshit?" A rookie slightly behind my vehicle cursed, while desperately keeping up with my terminal speed.

"I don't know! All we can do is hope it'll slow down!" I replied hastily.

My comlink was now filled with fizzing glitches and men and women screaming out words I couldn't record at all. Occasionally it would clear up, but with the disturbance of the imminent chaos there was no way for it to remain stable long enough for us to come up with a countermeasure.

"Somebody get the cruisers down here now!" Numa finally yelled at the top of her lungs(if that's even what they call them). "Because I can't see another way out!"

"There is another!" Someone yelled out of nowhere, startling the rest of us and shifting our attention now all dazed and confused.

"I'll pick you guys up with the Baphomet. How many boxes do you have down there?" The person who was eventually identified as my best friend Harris continued, doing what he could in whatever cockpit he was sitting in to make himself sound calm.

I spinned my head as Harris told, but all I could see was another box identical to mine, and a heck lot of dust rushing in a deadly velocity. The surviving rookie claimed to be directly behind me, so once I made sure I was doing my math right I replied to Harris, while urging him to convince Faylin to send every cruiser or secret weapon we never knew we had to the rescue.

"I can carry two at most! If you can, get your passengers over to another box and then I can work something out!" His mind raced. I was about to protest, but after a split second of reconsideration, I realised I didn't have the luxury to choose the best was to get out of a shit storm, not this time.

"It's technically possible, but I'm not responsible if anything happens to them!" I reluctantly agreed untruthfully, at the last part. I only said that because I was afraid. Somewhere deep inside, I was trembling. But before my own self consumed me, a dark silhouette with obvious purple stripes plummeted down from the clouds above, with two X-wing escorts next to it.

"2-7, keep your box right next to mine, on the left! Everyone, I need you to jump onto the transport on our left! It's our only chance to survive!" I had to shout. Soon enough some who were crazy enough to listen to me made their move, while the rest who were too afraid to fall to their deaths were eventually convinced one by one by my undying tongue. It wasn't fun at all.

The first one prayed hurriedly before performing his leap of faith. He was surprisingly skilled, as he somehow managed to gain enough momentum to perform a front flip before touching the rookie's ITT. Another middle-aged woman followed, with the rest close behind.

Around one-third had already made it when I witnessed the first casualty myself. One of the twi'leks made a leap for the rookie's box, but stepped on the edge of the roof instead of getting a solid grip. In the end he slipped, and was nowhere to be seen.

I knew I had no time to worry about that, though, for lots of other lives were at stake at this very moment. At one point I had to time their jumps outside the box for their sake, and that didn't end well as the box started shifting course, only making my task way more lethal than it was supposed to be.

Fortunately I was the only one left by the time the brutal storm caught up with us, and the sleek Baphomet had descended to an altitude where it could use its arms to grab the boxes out of harm's way. I stepped back slightly, extended my legs, and made my jump to the other transport. I overdid it, and would've fallen off the other side of the rookie's box if not for the efforts of some helpful natives.

Before I knew it, a set of mechanical finger stretched under the flat surface of the box, shaking the ITT as if it was a ride in a amusement park. I shifted my attention to the massive prototype machine as its 'wings' or 'foils' (whatever the mechanics decided to name it) withdrew, leaving us sitting in its massive chassis with no illumination but the machine's weak spotlights and signals.

"Oye! 2-7! How you doing?" I shouted, trying my best to neglect the gravity under my boots.

"Five category Bravos(wounded). The rest are fine. Sir." He reported.

As he said so I felt the machine carrying us pull up and away from the storm. There was no way for anyone other than Harris himself to tell whether we're clear or not, in toher words, I'm handing him all our lives.

 _You better not mess this up, brother._


	38. Chapter 38

"A Western Beast"

Day 353-09:12:11

Sgt. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

Chimera Base, Ryloth orbit

A dark and masked figure stormed into the rebellious space station's control tower, while bringing along two other members of the Free Ryloth Movement with him to give the rest of his comrades a piece of his mind. That figure was no other than me, my own self, as I withdrew my weapons and reached for a distraught Harris and a confused Lieutenant Gobi.

"Can someone explain what the heck just happened?" I demanded, still having horrifying flashbacks of the massacre of the Lessu Arena, one event destined to go down into the books of galactic history. At least several thousands of lives were vaporised, before any of them could even shout out a voice loud enough for the wretched Empire to hear. I saw Harris panting beside the holoprojector, still wearing the standard-issued Terran flight suit he never had the strength to take off.

"A superlaser discharge, in short." Gobi explained. "Only one-tenth of the population down there survived, including you people. Seven of our soldiers are presumed dead, not to mention two V-wings shot down by that superweapon." The rest of the airmen showed up with their full gear, followed by a pair of astromechs I never even knew that existed in our facility...that's about to become stardust thanks to the Empire and its superweapon projects.

Most of them were either sweating badly or having new bruises or blood stains beneath their bandages. Even so, none of them failed to look or act like nothing has ever happened to them, just like our platoon's usual behaviour.

"We gotta deal with that..." I paused to get a good look out the window, only to find myself staring at an approaching fleet of five star destroyers, not to mention the numerous cruiser and fighter escorts homing around them like flies. "...that fleet somehow. What do we have left?" I managed to finish without already getting cold feet.

Gobi quickly called for Harris, and had him tell the situation of their now severely crippled space fleet. "Two BP0-M3Ts, two cruisers as always, a handful of fighters without pilots. We lost every TIE we have, two V-wings, X-wings, and the five Raptors that aren't already damaged have no pilots. They're all in the sick bay." He reported truthfully.

I couldn't help grimacing as I heard of the severity of our dilemma. There was no way in hell that fleet's staying in Ryloth airspace, needless to say. But wherever it goes, massive destruction follows not far away. Especially when the Empire was fond of creating collateral damage wherever there's a fight.

"Can we get their fleet to follow ours then?" I asked anxiously while leading Gobi to the hangar.

"Doubtful. One of our cruisers received a warning message from that destroyer. You don't want to see it." He implied.

We reached the hangar now flooded with the rush of the smell of tibanna. A refuelling droid marched past me with its ridiculously short legs, along with yet another astromech droid beeping and following close behind. A twi'lek pilot I only know as Geyges was waiting with a set of breathing masks in his hands, along with a datapad in his other.

"Sorry sergeant. But you aren't going on a star fighter this time. Considering Harris built this thing to suit Terrans more." He stated as he handed my gear to me.

"I should've guessed." I replied plainly and fitted my head into the squeezing helm. Through a ladder stretching down from the cockpit of the Baphomet I hopped into the cushioned seat, with a pair of controllers that looked like bullpups from video games lying on either side of my arms.

"Harris told me to skip the tutorial. That alright with you?" Geyges shouted outside as I hit the power switch of the Baphomet in front of my groin, trying to cover the noise of the humming engines of the prototype fighter.

"I've played more video games than you've had meals." I joked and reassured the airman as he gave me a salute, which I returned with a thumbs-up. The Baphomet drifted out of the hangar with a pair of X-wings next to it, followed by a scorched Sparta and every other starfighter that wasn't already soaring in the skies.

* * *

My fighter, or rather, missile platform sped alongside the bulk of the starfighters towards the star destroyers waiting eagerly miles away from us. God knows how long that superlaser in the middle star destroyer takes to recharge, and for all I know we could end up being vaporised before we even know. But we were, no we are, outlaws in the eyes of the public, and we were bound to die far away from the warmth of our homes for the sake of our next generation.

"That's it. They're targeting Chimera. Evacuation is at 75% and going smoothly!" Commander Faylin reported from the moon base as I flicked the switches above my finger. The purple striped foils opened, allowing me to see the imperial fleet without relying on instruments.

"Well that doesn't look good." I commented.

"I can see that. That's why you and your machine are the key. Another Baphomet is one its way, so before it comes you may practice your aim with those Eyeballs." She stated as I picked up a trimmed railgun next to the right arm of the Baphomet, loaded its chamber and targeted the imp's forward patrol.

Roger that. I simply said when I pulled down the trigger of the controller for the first time, feeling as if I have returned to my life of playing video games at my home with no stress from education. After a long time, I've finally gotten over with the guilt of murdering imperials who were humans with lives just as I do, they chose this path of oppression themselves without checking the manual and their brains, and they're going to pay the price for it.

Within seconds every TIE more than fifty meters ahead of the main fleet were reduced to stardust, allowing the squadron to move in while I sniped down the rest of the TIEs one by one to wait for my squadron mates to take down the shields of the star destroyer with a superlaser between its prongs.

"I really owe you one, Harris. Coming up with something like this." I said to myself as I squeezed the trigger, but was interrupted when a torpedo slammed onto one of my foils, forcing my craft to drift backwards. The next thing I knew, I was staring at a pair of furious eyes from another prototype like mine, only it had the colour scheme of a poisoned spider.

It didn't take a genius to figure out it was Thrawn, out of the shadows and finally having the guts to face me with something more than just propaganda and his minions. I was instantly enraged by the sight of the prototype stretching its cannons, ready to blow me into Ryloth's atmosphere.

"You...out of my way." I heard my demon grumble.


	39. Chapter 39

'Devil I Have Become'

Day 351-19:14:44

Sgt. Ion

Spectre Platoon, Free Ryloth Movement

High Ryloth Orbit

I retracted my foils to give my craft maximum agility as well as unleashing both railguns on my archenemy. As soon as the second Baphomet approached I sped for Thrawn's custom craft, my weapons locked and loaded and so was his. I kicked off with consecutive bursts of high-v rounds, but were easily dodged by Thrawn when his machine spinned and twisted his way out of trouble.

I knew this was going to be a wrestling fight between machines if anyone was to win this. I decided to hold my fire, until I got so close that there was no chance for me to miss, and I did, but not without taking some damage from Thrawn's punches. I managed to grab the arm painted in sky blue when Thrawn launched his fifth attack, and made an attempt to deal a massive blow in his chassis before he used the machine's legs to knock the rail gun off my hand.

I wasn't about to let him off like that, so I switched my other railgun to full-automatic and unloaded a dozen rounds into his chassis, sending him flying backwards with two dents on his legs. Fortunately I was close enough to reach for my other railgun, but when I did he was going full throttle at me, forcing me with only the option to bank right.

He was quick enough to stay away from my barrels, but no quick enough for me to catch up with him. He tried to counter me with a meteor rain of rockets, and managed to drain most of the ammo I tried so hard to save. By then, all I had left was no more than thirty rounds. I saw him thrust away from me, and the next thing I knew, I had to deal with the TIEs that got away from the rest of my squadron mates.

Both of my rifles were shot, and I was still planning on sparing my rockets for the bombardment later on. But my fists, unlike our falling fleet, were still intact. So after I yelled at my teammates for the umpteenth time for the day to hurry up I pointed my right arm as if it was a sword, and rocketed into Thrawn's right prong, bending its joint behind its shoulder and fracturing the right side of his machine.

But that wasn't even satisfying enough. I grabbed his arm and thrusted my leg to his head before he could react, and with all my strength I was able to drift away from the now wrecked machine of the wretched admiral, with an armoured forearm to be dumped into deep space seconds later. I eventually concluded that bashing him into the atmosphere and into Ryloth's gravity would be the quickest way to finish the fight I was never supposed to be in, so ignoring the fuel gauge I had the Baphomet fly at him, top speed.

For a moment things seemed to have turned out the way I wanted. Thrawn's machine was slowly losing altitude and moving further and further away from me. My teammates, after losing almost half of their starfighters, have finally blew a hole in the destroyer's shield generators. I extended my wings loaded with heat-seeking torpedoes, selected every hardpoint on the hostile destroyer, including its hangars and superlaser dish, and fired every last rocket I had left...

...right before the sound of the Chiss general played in my headset for the last time in my life.

"Your unceasing pursuit of rebellion will be your undoing."

Right before I felt my soul leave me.

 _Did I die?_

 _No. It can't be. I see black, not white._

 _Okay. Now I see white dots._

"Son." I heard an aged voice all. Too old to be my actual father, though no one on this planet that had this voice would refer me as 'son'. I was frankly surprised to be still able to move my muscles in the void I'm in. My arms tried to reach for the source of the sound, but my voice beat me to it, as I finally figured out who was calling out.

"I'm sorry, for not making it out." I apologised after realising I was going to be stuck in this void, probably until someone could decide where my next life belongs.

"You haven't died yet, Spectre 2-3." He replied.

"Out of all the people, why you, Fulcrum?" I was utterly confused by his sudden appearance, the double agent that hasn't spoken to us in half a year or even more than that.

This time I had to wait for seconds until I received by reply. "Boil, please." I was totally caught off guard to hear that name in almost a year. But all this sudden intrusion could only be about one thing. One thing about a fellow soldier who still lives today. "What about Numa? If I'm dead, and you're so far away, who's gonna look after her until she can handle herself?" My confusion started to transform into fear. A kind of fear even I, who have undergone numerous dangerous tasks in merely a year, couldn't tell.

"Wake up first." The next thing I knew, I was returned to a sight I found quite familiar, and quite logical too. The floating wires, the shattered metal breaking off the chassis of the Baphomet. MY Baphomet, considering there wasn't really anywhere else to fly to, but to go down with the monster about to destroy Ryloth, followed by the rest of the parts of the Galaxy that opposed the hegemony of the Empire.

"As cliche as it sounds, blow up the ship's core. I don't know how a human's gonna pull this off, but...a devil like you might can." Boil instructed confidently, despite surely able to witness my state. But he's right about one thing. This twisted system which politicians invented and stayed out of, certainly made a devil out of me, and so did my parents, unfortunately.

"You haven't answered my question yet." I nearly gurgled on my own blood as I spoke.

"You don't have to worry about her. I taught her how to walk, you taught her how to fly, and thanks to you too she taught herself what it means to be alive, too...is to rage a storm so loud and deafening every evil in this world will tremble." Boil finished, probably his way of saying that I've done my part, and that it's time to let go and watch aside, for once. Nonetheless I restarted the Baphomet's system, corrected its wings' positions, and pumped out every ounce of tibanna it still had left.

Now I definitely can't take my anger on everyone that's hurt me now, but I'm not stopping. I'm never stopping. That's what makes people afraid, even Thrawn, especially when I finally managed to catch up with him when he tried to return to his prized superweapon and pierced his machine with the wings of the mechanical devil I'm sitting in, taking it with me as I rammed into the crippled destroyer's hangar.

The Baphomet had enough momentum to reach the outer walls of the destroyer's reactors before it came to a halt. Forcing me to hop out and land with only my right leg, since my left was nothing more than a fractured piece of organ that I had to drag along, same as my arms. Yet they were still attached quite firmly to my body, as I was still able to my E-11 fitted with a grenade launcher under it.

I knew I didn't have the luxury to fire it without dislocating both of my arms. Nonetheless I held down both triggers, and never let go until I was consumed by an expanding darkness, sending me flying down what seems to be a portal.

Now I'm truly dead.

I got up from the scorching ground under me and instinctively peeked at my limbs, which to my surprise, were all fully recovered, so well that no one could imagine that I was just in a death battle with the Galaxy's might. Up ahead, about a hundred miles away, lay a city glowing with spotlights. My path was filled with red lines that allowed some equally red liquid to flow along it, burned like heck but not enough to corrode my skin.

So I did become a devil after all. Getting sent to this place I can only imagine with my head. The world I knew always claimed people sent here were locked up for eternal, to pay for all their sins they committed up in the living world. From the sound of that, I might run into Thrawn here someday, too.

But punishment or not, I'm not going to stop until I find a way off this imaginary sanctum.


End file.
